


Sunblocked

by smore13



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Hybrids, Bisexual Suh Youngho | Johnny, Blow Jobs, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Relationships, Facials, First Time Blow Jobs, Hybrids, Johnny Seo is a pure soul, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan is a Brat, M/M, Power Dynamics, Rivals to Lovers, Smut, Suh Youngho | Johnny is Whipped, Suh Youngho | Johnny-centric, doghybrid!haechan, doghybrid!johnny, human!Taeyong, human!doyoung, mayhaps johnny thinks he's in a porno, no a/b/o, the title is a crappy haechan pun help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-01-30 00:34:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21419263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smore13/pseuds/smore13
Summary: Haechan eyed them with mild dissatisfaction before taking the opportunity to come in for a good sniff.Johnny was surprised to find the puppy suddenly in his space but he wasn't very defensive or territorial so he allowed it without much of a fuss, leaning away from Taeyong to get a solid sniff of his own.Haechan smelled a little like Doyoung, Johnny thought, noting the familiar scent first but beyond that he had his own strong musky, woody, savory scent that was so very boy. It reminded Johnny of afternoon soccer games, jumping into piles of leaves in the fall, running into the water on a blinding summer day.Johnny liked boys who smelled so masculine just as much as he liked girls who smelled decidedly feminine. Both felt right.Haechan seemed content to sniff him over, not really showing much other than curiosity until Johnny leaned in too close to his neck, then the puppy let out the lowest growl in the back of his throat.It was probably too quiet for their caregivers to hear but Johnny certainly did.It surprised him enough that he pulled back right away, eyes a little wide as they met Haechan's bored expression, eyebrow cocked just slightly in a vaguely challenging manner.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 65
Kudos: 385





	1. Sunburned

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings! Although this is CERTAINLY not the first fanfic I've written, it is the first one I've published on ao3.  
Go easy on me lololol.  
I've been reading hybrid fics for a while now and I find the combination of animal and human customs and dynamics all very fascinating and that's what prompted me to write this one. Plus owner/hybrid shipping always leaves me a little... squelchy with the power dynamics so I decided to pair a couple of hybrids instead!  
Haechan is a Shiba Inu because I wanted him to have up ears and a curly tail lol but OMG if you read the description of shibs it fits so perfectly for this story dkkjajdsf. Once I read the sentence 'big dog in a small dog's body' I knew that was him lol.  
Johnny is a Black Mouth Cur because I needed a big dog with floppy brown ears to go with Johnny's floppy brown hair lol and a long tail. But their personalities suit this story so well too lol, they're good with kids and dogs, easy to train, but not super adaptable *chef's kiss*
> 
> This is tmi sorry I'm just excited lol.
> 
> This story will end up being a two-shot. I wanted to finish the whole thing before I published but it ended up being so much longer than I intended T_T so I figured posting what I have will inspire me to finish faster.  
I gave it a mature rating only because of the eventual smut - the first chapter is quite tame, but a lot of Johnny stressing and character interaction lol.  
Tags will be added as the story progresses.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

"Come on bud, you've already met the puppy plenty of times. There's nothing to be nervous about," Taeyong coaxed gently, reaching out to give Johnny's hand a gentle tug.

"I'm not-" Johnny started quietly, pausing to clear his throat when the words caught slightly. He glanced around the apartment's hallway where he had paused just outside the elevator. "I'm not nervous, Yong."

"Mmhmm," was all the man replied, unable to cover the slight teasing tone as he reached up to playfully ruffle the big dog's ears. Johnny hadn't realized they'd been pressed back against his head slightly.

"It's… I'm not nervous," he insisted, shuffling a little in embarrassment. "It's just a big change. Makes me a little uneasy. I know I shouldn't worry…"

Johnny leaned into Taeyong's touch when he moved to scratch under his pet's chin. 

"Aw, I understand pup," the shorter man cooed, leveling Johnny with one of his signature reassuring looks, full of empathy and affection. "I know the move has been a lot to deal with but you've been handling it so well, I'm proud of you. I want you to be as comfortable as you can, so I don't want you to be afraid of being honest if you're overwhelmed or uncomfortable."

Johnny huffed with a smile, leaning his head down to lick at his caregiver's fingers affectionately. He knew that Taeyong didn't like his face licked - humans, such strange preferences - but he couldn't resist showing his friend some love. They had been together since they were young when Taeyong's parents had adopted Johnny - a same age hybrid that their son could care for and grow up with.

"You're a pretty nice guy, you know that?" Johnny said with a grin, wrapping his caregiver into a snuggly hug. 

"Gross," Taeyong murmured jokingly, wiping his spit covered hand on Johnny's shirt before returning the hug. 

"Way to ruin the moment, man," Johnny joked, pretending to pout as he pulled away, but his wagging tail gave away any attempt at seriousness. 

"At least you're happy now," Taeyong shot back lightly, grabbing Johnny firmly by the hand and urging him down the hall toward the new apartment in question. 

Johnny felt his heartbeat increase and his ears raised slightly, alert. 

"There's really no need to worry," Taeyong assured him, glancing back with a sympathetic look. "You already know Doyoung really well and his place isn't far from where we lived before, so you're still familiar with this side of town…"

"Right," Johnny agreed, wondering why his mouth suddenly felt dry. He licked at his nose a few times mindlessly. He really wasn't sure why he was feeling this way. The logical part of his brain couldn't make sense of it. 

Taeyong and Doyong had been dating for almost 2 years. They had an easy, sweet, ever so slightly antagonistic relationship that only seemed to serve to keep each other interested and on their toes. 

Doyoung had never been anything but nice, if teasing, toward Johnny and they had become good friends in their own right after all this time. 

Doyoung and Taeyong were both progressive idealists when it came to hybrids and their rights. They understood that the rest of the world wasn't always caught up to their way of thinking but to them Johnny and others like him were people (not human but people) in their own rights and they never ceased to treat him as such. 

Doyoung had spent plenty of time at the old studio apartment that Taeyong and Johnny had shared since halfway through Tae's time at university and Johnny had spent multiple nights over Doyoung's place - the apartment they were currently in the process of moving into. So he didn't understand why he was feeling so off balance about the whole situation. 

There was one relatively new addition to their dynamic that Johnny admittedly hadn't quite gotten used to. 

The puppy. 

He was embarrassed that the puppy was Taeyong's first assumption about his nervousness, especially because it was probably true. 

Just six months prior, Doyoung had adopted a hybrid of his own. He'd always volunteered at a shelter in the neighborhood, helping as much as he could until one day he'd informed Taeyong that he'd been_ persuaded _to take one home. 

It had been weeks before Johnny finally met the new dog. 

He wasn't technically a puppy - he was fully grown, considered an adult dog - but you'd never know by looking at him, or spending more than a few minutes in his presence. 

Haechan, the puppy was called. 

He was small and golden caramel - his pointy ears, his curled tail, his exposed skin. 

He was so _ loud _. 

And full of relentless energy. 

Johnny had always been a somewhat mellow dog, even as a pup. He couldn't understand all of Haechan's running and barking and chattering. 

It had made him nervous from their very first meeting.

***

Taeyong and Doyoung had brought them to Johnny's favorite hybrid park, giving them a chance to meet on neutral ground, rather than at either of their houses. 

Johnny had been struck by how pretty the puppy was, even from a distance. 

Johnny was a working dog - sturdy, pleasing enough to look at but never pretty. 

Haechan was a little dog. 

Little dogs always made Johnny nervous because he needed to be loved by everyone he met but his size and gruff look tended to scare smaller dogs away.

Nothing devastated Johnny more than seeing another hybrid scurry away from him in fear.

He remembered shifting restlessly beside Taeyong as Doyoung and the puppy approached, the human waving enthusiastically, while the puppy eyed them with mild interest but otherwise appearing majorly put out. 

Johnny wondered why until he noticed that Haechan seemed to be wearing some type of harness with a rope the Doyoung held in his hand. 

"What in the world…" Taeyong pronounced, obviously both confused and amused by the sight of his boyfriend and his pet. 

"Doyoung said I couldn’t come unless I wore a leash," Haechan announced immediately, sounding almost bored though his tail did twitch around lazily as he got close enough to sniff toward the pair. "Personally I think he just has some weird kinks but if he wants to advertise them to the world, who am I to argue?"

Doyoung groaned loudly at this, shooting his puppy a death glare the went entirely ignored. Johnny was totally shocked by Haechan's crude words toward his caregiver, while Taeyong burst into surprised laughter. He had already met the puppy before and was clearly more immune to his brash behavior.

"First of all, that's Doyoung_ hyung _ to you. And second of all, it's not a leash…" the man broke off in exasperation, looking to his boyfriend for support but Taeyong only grinned, hands up to signal he wanted no part in the argument. 

"You're on your own, babe," he joked laughing. 

Doyoung sighed heavily, letting the air hiss out slowly between his teeth. 

"Alright, it may be a leash but it's a child's leash, because the last time we were out you ran away and gave me a heart attack like a_ child _ so now you're being treated like one."

"Whatever you say hyung," Haechan shot back immediately, eyes on Johnny, sizing him up. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your boyfriend's pet?"

Doyoung rolled his eyes, appearing incredibly put upon. 

"Of course," he said, shooting Taeyong a knowing look that made the other man giggle. "Johnny, this is my bratty puppy Haechan. Haechan, this is Taeyong's perfect angel, Johnny."

"I'm not perfect," Johnny blurted out immediately as the puppy's expression turned sour, sending the bigger dog an annoyed glare before turning it on his caregiver. 

Johnny was still a little stunned by Haechan and Doyoung's dynamic. This mixed with his strong desire to get along well with the new puppy and his nerves from meeting a new small dog all left him a little off kilter. 

"I dunno, I think you're pretty close," Taeyong piped up proudly, reaching up to scratch behind his ear. Johnny leaned into the touch easily, tail wagging at the affection. 

Haechan eyed them with mild dissatisfaction before taking the opportunity to come in for a good sniff. 

Johnny was surprised to find the puppy suddenly in his space but he wasn't very defensive or territorial so he allowed it without much of a fuss, leaning away from Taeyong to get a solid sniff of his own.

Haechan smelled a little like Doyoung, Johnny thought, noting the familiar scent first but beyond that he had his own strong musky, woody, savory scent that was so very_ boy _. It reminded Johnny of afternoon soccer games, jumping into piles of leaves in the fall, running into the water on a blinding summer day. 

Johnny liked when boys smelled so masculine just as much as he liked when girls smelled decidedly feminine. Both felt right. 

Haechan seemed content to sniff him over, not really showing much other than curiosity until Johnny leaned in too close to his neck when the puppy let out the lowest growl in the back of his throat. 

It was probably too quiet for their caregivers to hear but Johnny certainly did. 

It surprised him enough that he pulled back right away, eyes a little wide as they met Haechan's bored expression, eyebrow cocked just slightly in a vaguely challenging manner. 

Taeyong looked at his hybrid with mild confusion while Doyoung only sighed. 

"What do you say, Haechannie?" he prompted, wiggling the leash in his hand but never pulling on it. 

"Nice to meet you Johnny," the puppy droned, his voice sounding slightly more husky in his lower register, perhaps brought on by the growl. Not waiting for the older dog's response, he shot his caregiver an exasperated look over his shoulder before adding, "Alright we met, can we play now?"

Doyoung was trying his hardest not to roll his eyes so Taeyong stepped in, reaching out to ruffle the puppy's ears. 

"Course we can! That's why we're here," he announced, holding up the bag he'd brought with a bunch of Johnny's favorite balls and frisbees. "Let's find a good spot on the grass."

Haechan all but bowled Taeyong over, bumping into him as he rubbed his head into the touches excitedly before shaking his leash out of his caregiver's grip and taking off at a run toward the wide open lawn that was meant for fetch and other games. 

Johnny was tempted to take off after him but he still wasn't sure where he stood with the new pup so he watched Tae and Doyoung as they both laughed together at the puppy's silly behavior. 

Doyoung wrapped his arm around Taeyong, drawing him in to plant a kiss on his cheek before following after Haechan at a leisurely pace. 

Johnny had trailed behind, bouncing a little in anticipation at getting to throw around his toys. 

He wouldn't call the activity that followed playing_ with _ the puppy so much as being allowed to play near the puppy. 

Tae or Doyoung would throw a toy and both dogs would run to chase it but Haechan never turned to play with Johnny directly. Never wrestling or fighting over the toys. Whoever got to it first would bring it back to the humans and the cycle would start again. 

Johnny longed for more interaction but he figured that the pup's cool attitude came from some kind of fear of getting too close to the big dog. Johnny wouldn't want to do anything that would scare him off so he decided to be patient and follow Haechan's lead. 

Although, to be honest nothing about Haechan indicated any type of nervousness. He didn't look nervous. He didn't smell nervous. If anything the only feeling he seemed to have when his attention was directed at Johnny was disinterest, which almost felt even worse. 

Johnny still wasn't sure how to deal with this reaction any better so he resolved to just wait it out. 

Eventually Haechan got bored of fetch. He convinced Doyoung to take his harness/leash situation all the way off before bolting for the playground that the hybrids and human children could share. There were lots of bars and platforms and monkey bars and stairs and even some agility course equipment.

Johnny hesitated. He liked playing on the playground too but he was starting to feel a little silly simply following whatever the puppy was doing all afternoon. 

He watched as the puppy approached the playground, surprised when the younger pup glanced over his shoulder at him as if to say 'are you coming or what?'

Johnny glanced at Taeyong who was sitting beside Doyoung on a nearby bench, leaning against his boyfriend's shoulder. 

"Go ahead, bub," Taeyong said with an amused smile. "Have fun."

Johnny nodded and by the time he turned and ran off toward the playground, Haechan was already off playing where a group of human toddlers were digging in the sand. 

Johnny still didn't want to follow the puppy around awkwardly so he made himself busy messing around on the monkey bars, seeing how many he could skip, doing pull ups, hanging from his knees. He quickly drew the rapt attention of a small group of middle school boys who were highly impressed by his feats of strength. 

They started requesting tricks for him to do, most of which Johnny managed with ease, much to their excitement. Eventually one asked wanted Johnny to do try doing pull ups with the kid on his back. After he managed a few, the other two got excited and decided that they wanted a go too but only managed to collapse the poor dog under their combined weight. 

They then took the opportunity to tickle and pet Johnny's belly nonstop from where he landed on his back on the sand. 

"Hey! Quit it, cut it out," he complained, laughing under the weight of the three boys. He didn't really mind their attentions, even though he really was ticklish. 

Surprisingly, they actually stopped suddenly and Johnny took a moment to catch his breath until he realized that all three boys were staring at the same thing behind him. 

Johnny tilted his head back gingerly to see Haechan gazing down at him from a platform a few meters away, expression impassive with a passing hint of interest. 

"Look at that one," one of the boys muttered, pointing at Haechan. 

"Doge," the other two murmured in unison, appearing almost reverent.

By now Haechan had become aware of their attentions, cringing at the meme reference. To Johnny's mild surprise he didn't make a biting comment and he was smart enough not to growl at a gaggle of human boys but he did pull his lips back and yap out an annoyed bark. 

"Much woof! So anger!" one of the boys called, standing to make his way toward the puppy.

"We're doing him a big concern," another added, rolling off of Johnny. 

"Very cringe. Much dislike," the third one sang out. 

Haechan's ears were folded back slightly in annoyance and he let out another yap, louder this time, before taking off in the other direction. 

The trio of boys immediately followed, trying their hardest to chase the angry puppy down. 

Johnny wondered vaguely if he should have tried to stop them but from the looks of it, Haechan could handle himself. He'd already outpaced the boys by half the length of the field and now seemed to be enjoying tiring them out.

Still sitting in the sand under the monkey bars, Johnny was suddenly approached by a tiny human toddler, no more than 3 years old, who immediately began playing with his ears before snuggling into his lap. The little girl's sister and cousin quickly followed suit and he spent the next half hour or so playing carefully with the little girls. 

In that time, he couldn't help but notice Haechan - who had made his triumphant return to the playground after the boys exhausted themselves chasing him - was busy playing with a handful of other small and medium breed hybrids. 

He seemed to be getting along with them great, a fact that definitely did not bother Johnny in any way. 

He definitely didn't spend an embarrassing amount of time glancing over to see the puppy interacting playfully, enthusiastically with the other dogs and he most certainly didn't waste any brain power wondering what about_ those _ hybrids made them so much more fun than Johnny. 

Everyone loved Johnny. Even the ones who used to be scared of him came around if they got the chance to get to know Johnny. 

Was he too big? 

Was he too much older than the pup? Unrelatable and uncool? 

Probably. 

But he was fun dammit! 

Haechan hadn't even gotten the chance to see that. 

Johnny tried not to pout, returning his feel attention to the little girls until their parents eventually whisked them away to return home, thanking him for keeping them entertained. 

Shortly thereafter another big dog ambled up to him, striking up a conversation about his exercise routine and training before suggesting they test out the agility equipment. 

They ran around the course a few times in a friendly competition (which Johnny won by the way, not that he would brag) before splitting off to play around on their own. 

Johnny spent a little time chasing a friendly small breed hybrid around the equipment, following her into the tunnel where they were met by an adult and a puppy hybrid comforting a crying toddler human at the other end. 

The small dog skirted around them with only mild difficulty while Johnny was entirely blocked in. 

Someone had come into the tunnel behind him in the meantime but it was too small for him to really turn around so he decided his best bet was still to try to back out carefully and hope the other dog got the hint. 

This didn't appear to be the case when Johnny suddenly felt a nose connect with his ass. 

Johnny let out a surprised yelp, smacking his head on the roof of the tunnel. 

He recognized the quiet chuckle that his fumbling elicited. Haechan was the dog who had crowded in behind him. 

"I can't get through," Johnny murmured, a bit embarrassed by his overreaction. He waited a beat expecting the puppy to move away, to back his way out of the tunnel so that Johnny could follow through. 

That's not what happened though. 

Haechan only hummed, continuing to sniff around his ass, moving his face precariously close to his crotch. 

It shouldn't have surprised him that the puppy would be so forward but they still didn't know each other that well and stuck in an uncomfortably small space with no easy way out was already setting him enough on edge. 

Johnny attempted to wriggle around enough to actually look at the other dog, still expecting him to take the hint he let out a small whine of discomfort. 

When neither of these tactics proved fruitful and he felt the puppy's face brush against his sweats, Johnny let out the barest warning growl, not even opening his lips just letting it rumble in his chest and the back of his throat. 

Haechan instantly jerked away and Johnny barely had time to consider apologizing for getting annoyed when there was a sharp yank on his tail that left him yelping much louder this time, drawing his tail under his body. 

He finally managed to twist his body uncomfortably around enough to see Haechan's face, his lips pulled back in a growl far more vicious than his own. 

Johnny blinked, heart racing at the unexpected shock, not sure what to say. 

The puppy didn't say anything either, simply glaring at him for a few moments before rolling his eyes with a huff and finally backtracking out of the tunnel. 

The commotion had left the human baby crying even harder and the grown hybrid finally decided to relocate the child and the pup elsewhere but not before shooting Johnny a judgmental glare. 

Confused and a bit bummed out, Johnny sighed to himself before finally making his way forward through the tunnel, tail still between his legs and he carefully climbed out the other side.

He glanced around to see that Haechan had returned to playing with the same group of hybrids, looking just as amused and carefree as he ever did. 

Johnny suddenly didn't feel like playing anymore, so instead he slunk off back to the bench near the field where his caregiver and his boyfriend remained chatting. 

Taeyong saw him coming, shooting his pet a look of concern. 

"What's wrong bud? Why do you look so miserable?" the man asked as Johnny sat down practically on top of him. He ruffled one of Johnny's floppy ears, which was still pressed back against his head slightly. Doyoung reached over to pet his hair softly, seeming equally as concerned. 

"I accidentally scared one of the babies," Johnny murmured, nudging his face against their hands a little rougher than he usually would. It wasn't a lie but he didn't want to admit the full story. 

He was met with a coo of concern from Taeyong and an understanding hum from Doyoung. 

"I'm sure you didn't mean to buddy," Doyoung assured him, scratching affectionately down his neck. "I'm going to be honest though, I'm a little relieved. I was sure my bratty dog had done something."

Johnny made a noise in the back of his throat that could have easily been construed as either denial or affirmation and didn't say anything more. 

He listened as the two men returned to their conversation, snuggling against Taeyong until Doyoung finally called Haechan back, ready to head home. 

The puppy returned, still dutifully ignoring the big dog, and immediately began an argument with his caregiver about how they'd get him home. 

"I'll make you a deal," Doyoung was saying, clearly trying to control the frustration in his tone. "I won't put you back in the harness if you promise to hold my hand until we get home."

"I have no desire to hold hands with you," Haechan shot back dryly, "just put me on the leash."

"You've got yourself quite the handful," Taeyong stage whispered as his boyfriend groaned loudly. 

"Where did you pick up all this attitude from, huh?" Doyoung demanded. 

"They say that pets take after their owners," Haechan shot back easily, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"I'm not- I don't own you, puppy, we've talked about this," Doyoung started, a hint of genuine concern in his tone to which Haechan only snorted. Doyoung narrowed his eyes at his pet with an extremely put-upon sigh. 

"Why do I love you when I get nothing in return?" he asked matter-of-factly, reaching down to pick up the harness. 

"Probably because I'm adorable, talented, and a delight to be around," the puppy suggested, adjusting his weight from one leg to the other. 

Johnny's eyebrows shot up in disbelief at that statement, and Haechan's eyes flickered over to him for the briefest of moments before returning to his caregiver. 

"Could have fooled me," Doyoung shot back easily, with a wide smile. 

"I mean, you're the one who picked me," Haechan pointed out with a shrug, causing Doyoung to frown then glare. 

"I would argue that I was coerced," he quipped, straightening with a sigh. 

"You always did have a soft spot for boys that give you a hard time," Taeyong offered with a grin, wrapping his arm around his boyfriend's shoulder. 

"Oh don't you start now," the other man shot back, with far less bite as he melted into his boyfriend's embrace. 

Johnny continued observing the puppy, as he'd done since the smaller dog had returned from playing. 

Haechan watched the two men's PDA for a moment in fascinated disgust before finally glancing over at Johnny. 

Seeing that he had the older dog's attention he turned his body to face him, putting his hands on his hips in a mildly challenging gesture. 

Johnny simply blinked down at him as the puppy eyed him with disinterested disdain. 

Johnny didn't know why Haechan was being like this. Despite everything, he wanted the little dog to like him. He just wanted them to get along. 

Johnny gave the puppy a pleading look, barely managing to bite back an imploring whimper. 

He wasn't happy with their current situation but he still had a little pride. He wouldn't beg to be friends. But he longed to leave on a more positive note. 

As it was, they just ended up staring at each other until Doyoung's voice rang out again. 

"Last chance, Haechannie," he said, holding up the harness. 

"Whatever you want Master, I enjoyed my time outside but I guess we must return to the bedroom," Haechan said loudly, holding up his arms so that he could be fitted back into the harness. 

"That's not funny," Doyoung all but shrieked much to Taeyong's amusement. "You can't go around saying shit like that, people are gonna think I'm some gross pervert."

"Oh no, that's the last thing I want~" the puppy sang out as his caregiver quickly strapped him in. 

"That's it! No Netflix for you until you apologize and quit acting like a brat," Doyoung threatened, waving the leash around wildly. 

Haechan whimpered at this. 

"Noooooo, my romcoms," he whined, shooting Doyoung a glare. 

"No romcoms for you until you learn a little respect!"

***

Johnny would continue to meet Haechan a handful of more times over the next few months, though never at Doyoung's place, 

"I'd love to have you over again buddy, but Haechan is a little too territorial of the place. We're working on it for now."

They often got together at the hybrid park and even at his and Taeyong's old apartment. 

Although their relationship seemed to improve, Johnny still felt a little on edge when the puppy was around.

It still felt more like they played beside each other rather than together and Johnny always felt he had to tread lightly to avoid Haechan's unexpected rath. 

He was pretty sure the humans had noticed to a degree but they seemed to take a certain amusement in the way the bigger dog danced around the noisy puppy. 

Haechan did have his moments though. He was naturally physically affectionate and could actually be very sweet. 

Johnny was always secretly thrilled to be on the receiving end of even the barest crumbs of such attention. He wanted the puppy to like him, dammit! 

But these moments felt few and far between. 

Johnny still couldn't bring himself to throw his pride away completely, especially if doing so still didn't guarantee any of the affection he craved. 

He could still get it from Taeyong and Doyoung, so for now he supposed that was enough. 

At least, it was enough until Taeyong and Doyoung announced that they had decided to move in together once Tae's lease was up. Johnny hadn't been back to Doyoung's apartment in months, since he'd first adopted Haechan. Because of Haechan. 

This made Johnny incredibly nervous. They just hadn't quite gotten to a comfortable enough place yet for him to abruptly call this new place his home. 

He worried that his sudden presence in the space Haechan had claimed would set the other dog off and undo the progress they'd made (however small), especially since it felt like Johnny was the only one who was even motivated to make an effort. 

As it was, move in day had arrived and Taeyong had finally managed to coax Johnny all the way to the door. 

They already knew the passcode of course but as it was Johnny's first official arrival, Taeyong decided it was probably best to knock. 

As soon as he did, they heard rapid skirting across hardwood followed shortly by a loud thud farther back in the apartment. There was no barking but they quickly heard a pair of muffled voices, both sounding rather annoyed before finally stomping footsteps approaching the door. 

It was finally opened to reveal a tightly smiling Doyoung with his arm wrapped around a sulking Haechan in a manner that was meant to look friendly but was clearly being used purely for the purpose of preventing any misbehavior or bolting. 

"You're here!" Doyoung greeted, smile turning a bit more genuine as he laid eyes on his boyfriend and Johnny. "We've been waiting, right Haechannie?"

"Waiting patiently," the puppy agreed in a mocking, sing-song tone. "So patiently I could have kept waiting forever-"

His statement was punctuated by a small yelp as Doyoung not so subtly gave him a pinch on the soft skin where his hand gripped the back of the puppy's upper arm. 

"Oh, there's no need to play hard to get," Taeyong teased, stroking the puppy's hair playfully, "I already know you love us."

"You're okay," Haechan admitted, nuzzling into his hand. He spared the barest of glances at Johnny, smirking slightly before turning his gaze back to his caregiver, expression utterly unimpressed. 

"And what do we say to our new housemates?" Doyoung prompted, unwilling to let his pet go without doing at least a little more than just the bare minimum. 

Haechan sighed dramatically before placing his hands together above his belly button and directing a fully 90 degree bow toward Taeyong, 

"Welcome to my house. I'm very happy to have you. Please make yourselves at home."

"It's not your house, it's my house - how many times do I have to remind you? Talk to me when you start paying rent," Doyoung huffed out before glancing at his boyfriend who was watching the exchange with amusement. 

"In fact, it's _ our _ house," he immediately corrected, shooting Taeyong an affectionate smile, "that we're all going to live in and enjoy together. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it," Haechan allowed, attempting to wiggle out of his caregiver's iron grip. "Can I go now?"

The instant Doyoung released him, Haechan took off toward the second bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him without a backward glance. 

"I'm… sorry about him," Doyoung said, sounding exhausted. He leaned in to greet his boyfriend with a kiss before turning and ruffling Johnny's ears. 

"Don't worry, we're all expecting to take some time adjusting to the new environment, aren't we pup?" Taeyong answered, wrapping an arm around his pet and giving him a squeeze. 

"I'm sure he'll come around," Johnny said, doing his best to keep the creeping doubt out of his tone. 

"Oh, I'll make sure of it," Doyoung replied, a scary glint of determination in his eye. Then he clapped, expression turning relaxed once more. "So, I know you brought some more boxes that need to be moved inside. Let's get to it."

The next few hours consisted of what felt like countless trips back and forth to Taeyong's car. 

Haechan never emerged from his room so that left Johnny and the two humans to do the work. And this devolved mostly into Johnny and Doyoung doing most of the hard labor with Taeyong 'directing' and eventually unpacking. 

They had already sent most of their big furniture and items (the ones they'd decided to keep) with a moving crew earlier in the week, both to get it out of the way and as a way to help get Haechan used to having their scents in the house before they officially moved in. 

This left only (a surprising amount of) clothes and knickknacks.

Taeyong admittedly did make fast work of unpacking and organizing their things into their new designated areas. 

When Johnny brought in his bed, he looked to Doyoung questioningly. He had basically shared a bed with Taeyong back at the old apartment, having bought a comfortable ottoman to essentially increase the surface area. But Johnny knew the two humans would be sharing a bed and he didn't expect to join them. 

Gross. 

He knew Doyoung had a spare bedroom. In fact, it was where he used to stay when he and Tae would spend the night. 

But now he was sure that it had been turned into the puppy's room. 

His suspicions were confirmed when, upon noticing Johnny with his bed, Doyoung's face fell slightly. 

"Ah, that," Doyoung started apologetically, "I was planning for you to share the second bedroom with Haechannie but uh… he's being a little stubborn about 'giving up his territory'. But I want you to stay where you'll be most comfortable - this is your home now too, so if you'd like to stay in the room I can-"

"No!" Johnny barked out, a little sharper than he meant to. He shot Doyoung an apologetic look of his own before glancing at the bedroom door as if the puppy was listening, pressed against the other side. "I mean… it's a dog thing. It's probably better if you don't force him too much. Anyway, I don't mind staying wherever. As long as I have my bed and space to lay down I'm fine."

Doyoung's expression melted into one of loving appreciation. 

"You're such a good boy," he sang out, petting Johnny's head roughly. "Why can't my dumb mutt be more like you?"

Johnny let out a happy whine, wrapping his arms around Doyoung in a snuggly hug that set the man laughing a little in surprise. 

Knowing that Doyoung, at least, wanted him there helped to settle Johnny's nerves and made him feel more welcome. 

"Well, I'd offer to let you in the room with us but I'm not sure how comfortable you'd actually be with that arrangement," Doyoung continued, laughing when Johnny immediately pulled away, his face the picture of disgust. 

"That's what I thought," the man continued, turning to gesture across the living room where some of Johnny's exercise equipment and free weights had already been set up against the wall. "I can make some more room in the corner there between the couch and your little gym for you to sleep for now. I'll let you two work out the room situation between yourselves - lord knows you don't need a clueless human to get in the middle of a hybrid territory dispute but just know that regardless, I do plan to try to break him of some of these bad habits when I can."

"He's still young," was all Johnny could think to say in response. This was met with a derisive snort from Doyoung at the puppy's expense. 

"Yeah… hopefully young enough for some training to stick," he quipped, turning to readjust the couch slightly to make room for Johnny's bed.

"Go ahead and set up the area however you like. Make yourself comfortable. Oh-" Doyoung glanced over at Johnny's equipment again before turning back with a rather guilty expression, "I should probably tell you. I think Haechan has been scenting your things since they moved them in a few days ago. I don't know for sure but I keep catching him hovering around here and near your dresser - which is in mine and Yong's room, by the way. I'm sorry if he did. He better not be trying to instigate a fight between you two. But honestly, at this point, I feel like I'm lucky he didn't piss all over everything. I almost wouldn't put it past him."

"Thanks for letting me know," Johnny said, trying not to get too annoyed by the situation, and especially not take it out on Doyoung. 

Johnny was a fairly laid back dog but a dog he still was. He didn't appreciate someone attempting to overtly lay claim to_ his _things when he wasn't even around to defend them. 

"I'm going to whip up some lunch for us all, okay? I'm sure you're all starving," Taeyong called from the kitchen where he had been unpacking and rearranging things to his liking. 

Johnny's ears instantly perked up at the mention of food and Doyoung patted his head lovingly before ambling into the kitchen to distract his boyfriend.

Johnny moved to claim a spot for his bed. He set it down and laid down, testing. He stood again, adjusting slightly, laying down again to test. He repeated this cycle at least twice more before he was finally satisfied, digging down into the soft material and flopping down happily. He rolled around, making everything as comfortable as possible before finally turning his attention to his weights. 

He could tell the minute he first walked over that Doyoung had been right. 

Although the metal and plastic of his equipment didn't hold scent nearly as well fabric, he couldn't ignore the puppy's scent all over just about everything. 

He gritted his teeth, glancing at the closed bedroom door in annoyance. 

He doubted Haechan would even be able to lift any of his stuff, let alone actually use it. He'd just done it to be a dick or to rile Johnny up. 

Most likely both. 

Johnny took his time picking up every weight, one by one and rubbing them again his head, neck, and shoulders until they were clearly _ his _ again. 

He was more than a little annoyed but some small dumb part of him - the same part that usually kept him from standing up for himself due to the irrational desire for love and attention from literally everyone - was kind of hurt by the gesture. 

He knew Haechan didn't actually want any of this stuff. 

Maybe the puppy had just wanted to cover his smell bad enough to take the time to scent everything Johnny so much as touched.

Or maybe he really was trying to start a fight. 

But why? Johnny was so nice! Why would anyone prefer to fight with him when they could easily love him. 

Johnny flopped down on his bed, huffing in distress and annoyance. 

Maybe he had to do more than stay out of Haechan's way if they were going to have any hope of getting along.

As if on cue, the bedroom door burst open and Haechan appeared, sniffing the air at the smell of food came together in the kitchen. 

Johnny remained laying on his belly, chin resting on his hands, expression neutral as he allowed his eyes to follow the puppy's moment. 

Haechan glance over at the older dog once he noticed him lying there, mouth forming into the semblance of a smirk before he dutifully returned to ignoring him in favor of making his way into the kitchen. 

Johnny continued to lay there on his bed, pout returning as he mused over ways to smooth things over between him and the puppy without him going so far as to fully beg for it. 

He hadn't come up with any solid ideas when Taeyong finally called him to eat 15 minutes later.

When he wandered into the kitchen, he immediately took note of the puppy sitting in one of the two kitchen counter chairs, essentially blocking the other chair from being used, already digging into a big bowl of Taeyong’s hybrid friendly chili. Taeyong was still at the stove, dishing up some food for Doyoung and himself, while Doyoung was tidying up all the unused ingredients and wiping down the counter.

“There you are, bub,” Taeyong called out, smiling at Johnny over his shoulder. “I already made you a bowl. Sit down and eat up.”

Johnny followed the tilt of his caregiver’s head to see a big bowl of his own placed in front of the second chair at the counter, the one which was conveniently being blocked by the puppy, along with the food itself.

“Thanks,” Johnny murmured quietly, eyeing the food and the company somewhat cautiously. He took a few steps closer to Taeyong before adding quietly, “I was thinking of eating at the table, is that okay?”

Taeyong, who had just handed the remaining two bowls off to Doyoung who whisked them off to the small kitchen table across the room, shoot him another look, one that might have been a bit understanding, a bit amused, or a bit sympathetic. More likely a combination of all three.

“Course, buddy,” he said casually, turning his gaze to Haechan ever so briefly before moving to soak the cooking pot in the sink while they ate.

Haechan was, perhaps unsurprisingly, staunchly ignoring the exchange entirely. He was chowing down on his food hungrily, full of loud smacks and other pleased noises as he always was when he ate delicious food. Johnny couldn’t help but find it entirely endearing, which didn’t do anything to help tamper down his desire to make friends with the infuriating pup.

Johnny approached cautiously, not bothering to attempt to move past the puppy toward the inner seat.

Haechan didn’t even look up as he neared the counter, simply continuing to eat, apparently happy enough. He was hunched over his own bowl, which in turn blocked Johnny’s food in even more. Johnny made a noise of quiet curiosity, both as a way to properly make his presence known, as well as… not to ask permission to approach exactly but rather to prompt an outright refusal. When he didn’t get a response, he took that as his cue to approach further.

It wasn’t until Johnny had reached his arm almost fully around the front of the puppy, hand poised to grasp his bowl that Haechan turned on him, lips curled fully back to reveal sharp teeth, and the little dog let out the loudest, most vicious growl that Johnny had ever heard directed at himself.

The combination of his surprise, the invasion of his space and the sheer ferocity sent Johnny stumbling, somehow managing to trip over his feet before landing hard on his butt in the middle of the linoleum.

“Haechan!” Doyoung’s sharp voice rang out as the puppy remained standing beside the counter, looming over Johnny, teeth still bared threateningly. “What the hell was that??”

Johnny’s eyes remained glued to the pup as the rebuke finally jerked him out of his aggressive stance. Johnny continued to watch as Taeyong knelt beside him, murmuring words of slight concern, checking on his well being. He watched as Doyoung marched across the kitchen toward his pet. Haechan had the good grace to at least bow his head and turn down his ears in an attempt to appear apologetic. Johnny watched as Doyoung raised one hand to lay a satisfying flick onto the puppy’s forehead, which landed with a solid _ thunk _ that practically echoed throughout the room and caused the pup to whimper.

Johnny watched as Doyoung snatched up both Johnny’s full bowl and Haechan’s half empty one, turning to stride purposefully toward the sink before dumping the remaining contents of the latter into the food trap.

“Hey! I wasn’t finished,” Haechan cried out with a whine, looking incensed. Doyoung shot him a look, allowing the now empty bowl to drop into the sink with a clatter.

“You are now,” the man challenged with a stern look before making his way to the kitchen table with Johnny’s uneaten food. “You can’t go around acting like that without punishment, puppy.”

“Oh, like what?” Haechan groused, sparing Johnny the barest disdainful glance before flopping back down onto his chair, arms folded stubbornly across his chest. “He got in my space.”

“I don’t wanna hear it,” Doyoung snapped back. “And you’re not off the hook. We’ll talk more about this later.”

“You okay, bub? Your butt okay?” Taeyong finally managed to catch his attention, positioning himself directly in front of Johnny’s line of sight. “You landed pretty hard.”

Johnny finally looked his caregiver over. Taeyong looked concerned, yes but there was still amusement gleaming in his eyes. Noticing this, Johnny let out a whimper of complaint. He was too worked up to feel embarrassed but he didn’t appreciate Taeyong laughing at him.

“No, I’m not laughing, I swear,” Taeyong told him quietly, obviously working to push down a smile now. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just… ugh, if only we’d gotten that on film! I’m sure it would have gone viral. Do you remember that video of the greyhound hybrid being afraid of the kitten hybrid? People eat that kind of stuff up!”

Johnny groaned loudly, then whimpered again when Taeyong started laughing in earnest. He finally managed to drag himself up off the ground, catching Haechan’s eye again as the younger pup eyed him with obvious annoyance. Johnny only huffed, ignoring him in favor of following Taeyong to the table where the three of them promptly began eating and chatting pleasantly, all dutifully ignoring Haechan who remained in his seat at the counter, arms still folded, practically glaring holes into the back of Johnny’s head for the remainder of the meal.

  
  


The next few weeks were a bit awkward to say the least, although Johnny had to admit that they were markedly less tense than he’d been expecting. 

As usual, this was mostly due to the behavior of the puppy, as it would appear Johnny was incapable of holding a serious grudge against the annoying, pretty dog, much as he’d like to.

Maybe as a result of the lectures he got from Doyoung after the food incident, Haechan had essentially reset his attitude toward Johnny to that of the day before their move in.

This still left plenty of confusion and awkward interactions in an attempt to navigate around each other’s space. They were alone together for most of the day, while Taeyong and Doyoung were at work, though Johnny had an excuse to escape the confines of the apartment for a handful of hours a few days a week to work his part time job at a nearby hybrid supply store and Haechan would randomly disappear as well, presumably to meet up with one of his apparently many friends.

It had turned out that Haechan _ had _ also marked, not only Johnny’s dresser but each and every one of the clothes that he’d left inside.

Upon finding this out the morning after the food incident, he found himself feeling somewhat pettier than usual. A few days later, he found himself snatching one of Haechan’s shirts from a basket of clean laundry, scenting it thoroughly, then tossing it onto his bed and proceeding to sleep on top of it (he may or may not have gnawed on it a little as well - not enough to ruin - but he wouldn’t confirm such behavior) for a night before folding it carefully and placing it in front of the second bedroom door.

He happened to be in the kitchen retrieving a glass of water when Haechan returned home to find it. Johnny watched out of the corner of his eye as the puppy noticed the clothing item, sniffing at it gingerly before promptly kicking it aside and stepping into his room. Johnny hid a smile as he took a sip of water, making his way back to snuggle down onto his bed and scrolling idly through his phone. About ten minutes later, Haechan appeared in his doorway once again, now wearing a pair of large winter gloves, despite the fact that they had only recently escaped the late summer humid heat. Johnny watched as he picked up the shirt gingerly before marching it straight to the washing machine, throwing it in roughly and slamming the lid shut. Johnny tried hard not to smile as he went stomping back, not bothering to look in Johnny’s direction.

Although he’d locked himself up tight in his room for the first few days after Johnny and Taeyong had moved in, Haechan quickly acquired the habit of leaving his bedroom door wide open at all times, except when he was sleeping or when he left the house.

It confused Johnny at first. If he was being entirely honest, for a moment he allowed himself to hope that it might be some sort of peace offering - a literal opening up to represent a figurative one - but it quickly became obvious that this wasn’t the case when Haechan growled loudly the first time Johnny walked past the open door on his way to the bathroom.

Instead it seemed to be more of a challenge. ‘Try it,’ the puppy silently goaded him, daring him to enter.

Of course Johnny didn’t. Why would he provoke an obvious fight?

This strange challenge did have uncomfortable consequences though, at least for Johnny. He was fairly certain Haechan was either entirely oblivious or completely shameless.

The first uncomfortable consequence came with the watching. As it turned out, Haechan’s bed was positioned almost perfectly diagonal from Johnny’s which mean that while they were both lying on their respective beds with the door open, they had a direct line of vision on each other. For Johnny that meant a lot of purposeful avoidance of eye contact. 

For Haechan that apparently meant constant _ looking _.

Johnny suddenly felt like he had eyes on him at all times. He’d even tested it a few times. He’d move one way, and the puppy’s gaze would follow, he’d move the other and it would follow again.

He’d had the brilliant idea of turning to face away from the door so at least he wouldn’t have to see Haechan just laying there _ watching _ him, until he practically felt the gaze burning onto his ass instead.

The other uncomfortable consequence was the changing.

Oftentimes Haechan would come home from his 'playdates' with his 'friends', smelling of other dogs and often another explicit, musky lingering odor which the humans probably wouldn't even notice and that Johnny only wished he didn't.

He would proceed to throw open his door, shuck all of his clothes off in one dramatic swoop before puttering around his room for (what felt to Johnny like) an eternity before eventually grabbing a towel and wandering bare ass naked down the hall to their shared bathroom. 

He did this when the humans were home (to which Taeyong would laugh and Doyoung would only roll his eyes). He did this when it was only he and Johnny. 

Johnny imagined he also did it when he was alone. 

That didn't make it less uncomfortable for Johnny. 

Why didn't he just close the damn door?

Johnny never went inside the room of course. He rarely even got close. 

Sometimes though, when Haechan would wander out and busy himself in the kitchen or use the bathroom, Johnny would take a few moments to check the space out. Usually from the safe distance of his bed but sometimes, under the pretense of waiting for the bathroom or getting a glass of water, he would wander a little closer. 

Even with the puppy's bed - which was a normal, human style bed, unlike Johnny's - his gaming computer and all of his various things, the room was still fairly spacious. 

Haechan kept it surprisingly neat in most places, though there was usually a few pieces of clothes, books, and games scattered across the floor. Still there was obviously more than enough room for one more… even a big dog like Johnny. 

He didn't mind his little area in the living room besides not having the option of privacy and the noise in the morning. 

He didn't mind waking up early most days but it would be nice to sleep in once in a while behind a door that closed. 

He was fairly certain Haechan had caught him looking at least once but the younger dog had never squared up or growled him off so he couldn't be sure.

He had no plans to test the limits of the puppy's territory preferences. 

Haechan on the other hand.

About half a week after Johnny's retaliation with the shirt, Haechan had taken to scenting various parts of the living room. Not Johnny's corner precisely, although Johnny had caught the pup reclining on it comfortably (usually in the evening when Taeyong and Doyoung were home and they all shared the space to watch TV and relax). Johnny, of course, begrudgingly allowed it, not wanting to complain to their caregivers, never wanting to be the one to raise a stink. 

Johnny never caught him doing it either, which made him think that the puppy would deliberately wait until he was off at work. 

Johnny would simply come home to a random mark here, the smell of Haechan there. 

The aggravating puppy especially seemed to like scenting the corner of the couch_ directly _ beside Johnny's bed, practically where he rested his head when he slept at night.

After a while Johnny gave up trying to mark over them all. 

He found himself falling asleep with the scent of the puppy pressing down on him like a physical weight. 

He found himself dreaming of him. 

The puppy rarely spoke to him directly, especially when they were home alone. 

He would ask their caregivers about Johnny though. Sometimes right in front of his face. 

Doyoung usually tried the 'if you really want to know, ask him yourself' card but unfortunately Taeyong got too much of a thrill yammering on about just about every aspect of Johnny's life so Haechan almost always got what he wanted. 

Johnny would just observe in mildly embarrassed horror as Taeyong rattled off his birthday, his favorite food, when Taeyong had adopted him, his workout routine, the highest weight he could bench, when he started puberty(?), etc.

Sometimes in those comfortable evenings in the living room with their humans, if he was in a particularly good mood, Haechan would allow Johnny to play around with him just a bit. Usually keep away, or a bit of light play fighting. Rarely anything very physical but Johnny always noticed the way both their humans - Doyoung in particular - seemed to light up when he did it and Johnny suspected that was the inspiring force behind his motivation. 

But that didn't stop Johnny from enjoying the playing. Or the attention for that matter. 

It didn't stop him from hoping this was an indication they might still have a chance to get closer. 

  
  


One day Johnny's favorite comfy t shirt disappeared out of the laundry. 

He knew it had made it into the washing machine but somewhere between drying and folding it had gotten lost. 

Well lost wasn't probably wasn't the right word. 

Stolen would be a better way to describe it. 

If only he could prove it!

He kept an eye out for two whole days but he never actually saw any evidence that Haechan had snatched the shirt in question. 

It was a black band shirt - merch he had bought from some little no name band who's concert he and Taeyong had happened to attend because they'd had a free weekend and the tickets were cheap. It had ended up being a ridiculously fun show and they'd managed to get a conversation in with all the members when they decided to buy a few shirts and their album afterward. 

Yong still had that CD somewhere (the guys had offered to sign it for them too) and Johnny still had his shirt. 

It had shrunk and become somewhat worn over the years but he still loved it and wore it all the time, even if it rode halfway up his stomach when he raised his arms now.

It would probably fit the puppy better to be honest… But that wasn't the point! 

The point was... 

Johnny wasn't sure what the point of taking his shirt was actually. Unless he was still trying to instigate a fight. 

But then wouldn't he rub it in his face like usual? 

It all made Johnny very suspicious.

He started keeping an eye on the puppy. Well more than he usually did.

He didn't see him wearing it around the house. He didn't see it on the floor of his bedroom. He didn't see it crumpled into a ball on the bathroom floor. 

But that didn't stop Johnny from looking. 

In fact, he spent so much time looking that the suspicious narrow-eyed glare kept getting stuck on his face without him realizing. 

Taeyong asked him multiple times if something was the matter and whenever he would accidentally catch Haechan's eye, the younger dog would stare back, expression impassive, leaning toward unimpressed until Johnny realized what he was doing and looked away. 

Maybe he was finally losing it. 

Maybe the shirt was the last straw.

They had settled into a fairly comfortable stalemate up til that point, so why break it now? 

And why in such an uncharacteristically sneaky manner? 

Finally, still sure the puppy was in possession of the shirt and also still without any proof to support it, Johnny had had enough.

He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he knew he had to do something. 

He hadn't _ purposefully _waited until Haechan went out for the afternoon to do something but when he found himself standing in front of the bedroom door in an empty apartment knowing his shirt must be on the other side, he decided now was his moment.

He wasn't going to go in. He was just going to look. 

Johnny reached out, hesitating another moment before ultimately gripping the handle and pushing the door open slowly. 

The room was mostly tidy, as usual, although Haechan's bed remained unmade. 

He only needed to look for less than ten seconds before he spotted the t shirt in question, sitting in a crumpled heap near the foot of the bed. 

Johnny didn't even hesitate. He bounded into the room, careful to touch as little as possible, snatching the shirt up, before turning on his heel to exit the once more. He'd probably taken six steps total before shutting the door behind him with a victorious grin.

He absentmindedly brought the garment up to his face, sniffing it gingerly. 

It had the puppy's smell all over it. Not from scenting specifically, but obviously from wearing. 

Boy smell. All sunshine and outdoors and autumn leaves and soccer games and all things exciting. The scent that had blanketed his sleeping mind for weeks now. The scent that made him dream of summertime adventures and late autumn kisses and oh lord no. 

Johnny's stomach flip-flopped almost painfully.

He hadn't really thought about it much. 

At least that’s what he told himself.

The puppy's scent and the fact that his shirt, _ his _, was covered in it didn't have any place making him feel anything but annoyance. 

So what he was feeling now, by this same logic, had to be annoyance, he thought, sniffing at the shirt some more. 

But he'd gotten his shirt back! Take that puppy.

He wandered into the bathroom, stripping his shirt off and replacing it with the band shirt in his hand.

He didn’t bother to scent it first. His wearing it would do the job soon enough.

There wasn’t any deeper reasoning than that.

He was just happy to have his shirt back.

That’s all.

Johnny didn't have the chance to complain or gloat about finally reclaiming his shirt (he couldn't decide which he'd rather do) however because Haechan never came home that evening. 

Taeyong and Doyoung eventually returned, greeting Johnny as usual, apparently unsurprised by the puppy's absence. They set the table for three and left Johnny to entertain himself as they cooked dinner. 

Later that night as they all gathered in the living room, lounging on the couch and chatting over game shows on TV. Johnny had waited until Tae and Doyoung were seated comfortably beside each other before proceeding to wedge himself expertly between them, his legs draped heavily over Taeyong's lap while he rested his head on Doyoung's shoulder, reveling in the lovely ear scratches the other gave him almost unconsciously. He'd kind of missed having the two men all to himself. Snuggled up like this was his favorite way to spend the evenings despite Taeyong constantly teasing him about being too big to be a lap dog. 

Having them to himself again really made Johnny realize how much living with Haechan cut down on his lap access, as the younger pup liked to claim his own spot on the couch more often than not which usually led Johnny to retreating to his bed instead.

Just as the third game show was coming to a close and the humans began talking about making moves to ready themselves for bed, Doyoung received a text that made him sigh quietly, then smile to himself. 

"It looks like Haechan will stay over at his friend's tonight," he murmured, mostly for Taeyong's benefit but of course Johnny perked up slightly with curiosity at the mention of the pup. "Or as he puts it 'With 00s. I'll be out late. Don't wait up.' Little punk… who raised him?"

Johnny blinked up at him curiously before turning to Taeyong. 

"He's allowed to stay out overnight?" he asked seriously, causing his caregiver to chuckle. 

"Seems that way," Yong answered, reaching over to stroke his neck. Johnny leaned into the touch, thinking to himself for a few moments. 

"Then… am I allowed to stay out overnight?" he asked, tone somewhat incredulous. 

Taeyong let out a full laugh at this. 

"Sure you are, bub. So long as I know the friend and you're being safe." Taeyong smiled up at him with a mixture of affection and something like sympathy. "I'm afraid I never encouraged you to meet or spend time with other hybrids enough. Maybe you can start now."

Johnny didn't know quite how to respond to this. He had some hybrid friends - from work, regulars at the dog park - but he'd always been so close with his human that he'd hardly felt the need to make much of an effort to spend time with them alone or have special play dates. 

Even though he always delighted in attention and affection from everyone he met, Taeyong had always offered him more than enough to satisfy him normally. 

Plus he had never felt as comfortable as Haechan wandering around outside by himself. 

Hybrid rights had continued to improve as the years went on, and there were many more places they were allowed to go on their own but Johnny was so used to going everywhere with Taeyong since they were puppies (and children, respectively) that it still felt a bit strange to just be out in the _ world _ without him. 

As he continued to ruminate on this new knowledge, the humans did actually start getting ready for bed, leaving Johnny alone in the living room once more.

He quickly washed up, changing into a pair of comfy basketball shorts, not bothering to change out of his band shirt. 

He grabbed at the collar and drew it up to his nose. 

It was starting to smell more like him but there was still a lingering scent of the puppy.

How annoying that he could still smell it. 

How irritating that it still lingered after he'd worn it almost the whole day. 

How troublesome that it seemed to have settled onto his own skin. 

Johnny dropped the shirt as if it burned him, yanking at the bottom to situate it back in place. 

Johnny might be in more trouble than he cared to admit.


	2. Sunsick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm going to be honest here - I'm embarrassed at how long it's taking me to finish this story lol.  
I've been getting a lot of (much needed) prompting to update and post already...  
What was originally meant to be a one shot turned into a two-shot and now, well. As I moaned to a friend, even as I keep moving toward this dumb fic's end, the end keeps moving as well lol.  
But I'm tired of making y'all wait!  
So after careful consideration and consulting said close friend (thanks Aminah, girl~), I decided something was better than nothing lol, so I decided to break the damn thing into three parts.  
I hope y'all enjoy and don't hate me lol.

Johnny somehow found himself stirring from sleep before the sun rose. He didn’t even have to open his eyes to discern this, as he was often awoken by the sounds of his humans getting ready for their day and was more than familiar with clinging to sleep while bright rays of morning light attempted to bore through his eyelids, doing their level best to sabotage said efforts.

At the moment the insides of his eyelids were still pitch black and Johnny was tempted to let go of consciousness again completely when he realized there was someone hovering beside him.

He didn’t need to open his eyes to identify the intruder either, even half awake.

The puppy’s scent surrounded Johnny as the younger pup leaned in, quietly sniffing around his chest and midsection.

Johnny sighed quietly, stretching out his legs, still caught in indecision over whether he should fully wake up. He belatedly remembered that the puppy wasn’t supposed to be home but his sluggish brain didn’t know what to do with this information so he promptly forgot it in favor of breathing in the soothing smell.

Haechan had paused at his movement but had apparently decided Johnny was still asleep and resumed sniffing him quietly.

Finally starting to lean more toward consciousness than sleep, Johnny vaguely realized that he found himself in an unusual position. He cracked one eye open to see the puppy kneeling beside him on all fours in the dark, face hovering mere inches away from the front of Johnny’s shirt.

Just as his brain contemplated thinking of something to say, the puppy leaned in closer, nudging the hem of his shirt up with his nose before smelling around Johnny’s stomach intently, warm nose and lips brushing lightly against his skin.

Johnny was awake now, startled by the sudden contact, both eyes flew open and he clenched his stomach without thinking.

Haechan jerked away in surprise and Johnny found himself sitting halfway up, propped up on one arm, staring at the other dog in confusion in the dark.

He opened his mouth to say… something, he wasn’t really sure what. Haechan seemed to recover faster though, and the puppy’s surprised expression was quickly replaced by a scowl.

He let out a half-hearted growl, turning to crawl away before standing and hurrying toward his room.

Johnny watched him go, mouth still open, poised to speak. Before he knew it, he ended up blurting out a quiet,

“You’re home…”

His surprise at the puppy’s sudden return apparently the one thing his sleepy, confused brain managed to grasp onto.

He might have imagined it, but Haechan seemed to pause at this, halfway through his bedroom door, hand still on the handle.

Whether he truly did or not, he disappeared behind his door in a flash, leaving a tired Johnny staring after him for a moment before rubbing his eyes and feeling around for his phone.

5:48AM

Johnny let out a loud yawn before laying back down on his bed, turning over and getting comfortable before eventually returning to his rudely interrupted sleep.

  
  


Johnny awoke hours later, somehow managing to sleep through his human’s morning routine for once. He didn’t have work that afternoon, so he was able to take his time lounging and scrolling through his phone before eventually motivating himself to get up and prepare some breakfast (more like brunch at this point).

He quickly heated up one of the prepackaged meals that Taeyong kept stocked for Haechan and himself, and ate leisurely at the counter while watching a mukbang on his phone as he often did when he ate alone. Or sometimes while Haechan sat eating silently across the room.

He had a few favorites, but lately he’d been hung up on a popular cat hybrid bj named Wendy. He didn’t always find everything she ate 100% appetizing to be honest, but as long as there was meat, he didn’t really care. She was extremely cheerful and cute and huggable, so maybe Johnny was a little whipped but she made for good company when he was forced to have a meal alone.

He remembered Haechan had appeared over his shoulder on one such occasion while he was engrossed in watching Wendy, initiating one of the few conversations they’d actually had, if you could even call it that.

_ “Why are you so obsessed with her? You like cats?” Haechan had asked, sounding rather unimpressed. Johnny jumped, not realizing that the puppy had gotten so close. _

_ “What does it matter if she’s a cat?” he shot back with slightly more venom than he’d intended, pausing the video to turn and look at Haechan, who was attempting to loom over him as he tended to do whenever the opportunity presented itself. Johnny had to stop himself from getting more defensive. “She’s cute and sweet and fun to watch. It’s not like I’m in love with her. Although, if I was, I’m not delusional enough to think she’d somehow pick me out of thousands of fans to like back. Even though she also lives in Seoul. And she has dated dogs before. And she does have a thing for floppy ears…” _

_ Haechan scoffed, cutting off Johnny’s sudden love struck rant. _

_ “You totally love her,” he muttered, leaning over Johnny’s shoulder to play the video once more. Johnny had bristled at the invasion of space but allowed it (what else was new?). Haechan watched for a few more moments in mildly fascinated disgust before rolling his eyes and muttering, “gay.” _

_ “I mean, she’s a girl,” Johnny pointed out huffily, watching as the puppy returned to gather his plate from where he’d left it on the counter. _

_ “What does it matter? You’re bi. You liking anyone is hella gay,” Haechan shot back, tossing his things in the sink haphazardly. _

_ “I-” Johnny started, unable to argue. He bristled again. “Well what about you?” _

_ “I’m queer as hell too but you don’t catch me drooling over cat girls, now do you?” the puppy shot back as he made a beeline back to his room, effectively ending the conversation and leaving a scowling Johnny to return to Wendy and his meal. _

Great, now he even thought about the puppy while watching his mukbangs.

Johnny glanced over at the firmly closed bedroom door, behind which Haechan was doubtlessly still asleep - not a surprise considering he’d gotten in at nearly 6 in the morning.

Johnny’s mind certainly did not stray to their strange interaction from this morning. He was half convinced it had been another dream, so it probably didn’t matter anyway.

Maybe the puppy hadn’t wandered in at the ass crack of dawn at all.

Maybe he was still out with his friends. The friends whose sweat and pheromones he sometimes came home smelling of... Not that it was any of his business but on such occasions Johnny found himself struggling not to ruminate on the implications of this.

He’d only smelled of himself last night though…

Johnny roughly shook himself out of his strange reverie, abruptly standing to wash his bowl out in the sink. He decided to do all of the dishes left over from his humans’ breakfast that morning as well. Johnny liked to feel useful.

He threw on the pair of rubber gloves that permanently resided in the sink caddy, making quick work of his own dirty bowl. He realized that the drying rack was currently full, so he simply stacked the clean, still wet dishes off to the side of the sink. He turned to the leftover dishes from that morning, humming quietly to himself as his stack of clean dishes grew. He turned to the utensils, cleaning the metal chopsticks hurriedly before dropping them rather haphazardly into the bowl on top.

Before he knew it, everything was clean but he decided he wouldn’t stop there. Johnny removed the gloves and turned his attention on the drying rack, stacking up all the already clean, fully dry dishes, returning to their assigned places in the cabinets.

Task complete, he was closing the cabinet door with one hand as he reached for the stack of wet dishes with the other. He miscalculated though, accidentally bringing his hand down too hard on the collection of chopsticks, which went flying - clattering loudly around the sink as they fell.

Johnny flinched, glancing that the bedroom door over his shoulder. He hadn’t exactly been trying to be quiet but he certainly hadn’t meant to make such a racket either. He scrambled to steady the pile of dishes, retrieving all of the utensils as quietly as he could, though now every scrape and click of metal on metal, or metal on porcelain seemed to echo in his ears.

The last thing he wanted to do was wake-

As if on cue, Haechan’s door banged open and the puppy stood there in his door frame, scowling angrily at the bigger dog, ears pointed forward in annoyance. Johnny glanced back at him, feeling his own ears press down guiltily as he found himself poised to sputter out a quick apology.

“Yah… could you be any louder?” the puppy snapped, hands on his hips as he glared Johnny down, tail straight out behind him, moving stiffly and a bit erratically. He’d clearly just woken up, wearing only a pair of small sleep shorts that hung almost dangerously low on his hips, exposing the top of his underwear. Johnny forced himself to ignore this fact in the face of being unjustly scolded. “You’ve been slamming shit around for the past 15 minutes then you set off a damn explosion or whatever the hell that was-”

“It was an accident,” Johnny muttered, jaw clenched, his own tail beginning to sway slowly, low to his legs. He was tired of being the only one always walking on eggshells all the time and even if he felt bad for waking the younger dog, he wasn’t just going to allow his abuse like he usually did.

“Sure it was,” Haechan scoffed, tail twitching dangerously to one side, hands still resting firmly on tanned hip bones. “You know I got home late and you’re still-”

“Yeah. I _ do _ know,” Johnny interrupted again, dumping all of the metal chopsticks he was still holding into the sink with a clatter that made the puppy start slightly and look at him with mild reproach. “And I can’t _ imagine _ how inconsiderate it is to wake someone up when they’re trying to sleep…”

Haechan’s ears drooped slightly but he kept his hands on his hips, expression troubled for a moment before it settled on something resembling a pout. Johnny did his best to ignore how cute this made him look. Now was not the time! He was fed up!

Haechan changed tactics, eyes roaming down Johnny’s body and zeroing in on his band t shirt - the one he was still wearing from yesterday. 

"You went into my room!" Haechan snarled, pointing at Johnny's chest accusingly. His ears shot forward again. "You're not allowed in there! You just go into my room without permission?"

"My shirt was missing and you're the only one who could have taken it," Johnny snapped, working to keep the sharpness in his tone. "I didn't go in until I knew it was there. Why have you been wearing my shirt anyway? It's my favorite!"

The puppy had been poised to fire back but the question seemed to throw him off guard. His body language was still tense, verging on aggressive with ears alert and tail stiff, twitching slightly behind him. He didn't answer, instead looking around, eyes darting around the kitchen frantically, clearly searching. 

Finally he honed in on something - the empty frozen food container on the counter that Johnny hadn't yet thrown away. 

"Ah!" Haechan cried, pointing at it instead. "You ate my food!"

The puppy was clearly grasping at straws now, looking for any reason to be upset - to be able to berate the older dog without debate. 

That much was incredibly obvious. Unfortunately for Johnny, it had the effect of making the whole situation feel more amusing than combative which meant he was starting to lose his edge. But he wasn't ready to give in to the puppy just yet. 

"It wasn't yours," Johnny argued snottily, crossing his arms and setting his jaw to prevent the wide grin that threatened to derail his annoyance. "Taeyong bought hybrid food for the hybrids in the house. Why do you always have to try to claim everything?"

Haechan's expression flashed surprise for a moment and something like… intrigue? Then almost as quickly it turned dark- far darker than it had been when he first emerged from his room. His body language instantly turned fully aggressive now, hackles up, shoulders tense, tail pointed straight up behind him. He bared his teeth in anger and Johnny felt his heart rate immediately increase.

He had to work to keep his own ears from flattening complacently. Suddenly he was back to square one, wanting to avoid this confrontation, wanting to appeal to the puppy. 

Why did Haechan manage to fluster him so _ easily? _

He held perfectly still for the beat of silence that followed. He knew if he tried to move, tried to say anything, hell if he _ breathed _ too hard, he'd apologize - let the whole thing drop. Not get the answers he wanted. Nothing would change. 

Johnny needed something between them to change. He was tired of dancing awkwardly around the puppy in his own home, of feeling uncomfortable, of feeling… unworthy. He was loathe to admit (to anyone, himself included) how much he craved Haechan's affections. At this point he'd rather live with outright animosity than the uncomfortable undefined space he currently inhabited. 

So he held himself together. Held it all in, waited for Haechan's reaction. 

At least if they fought he'd know where he stood. 

For an uncomfortably long beat neither of them moved. 

Finally though, the puppy loosened up, shoulders relaxing, hair flattening, tail relaxing just enough to twitch sharply to one side again. Certainly not calm, but no longer outright aggressive. 

Johnny realized he'd been holding his breath but he still wasn't ready to sigh in relief. The way Haechan was eyeing him was disarming. He'd never had the puppy's undivided attention for so long, especially alone in the house, without any human buffer. 

His stomach roiled nervously but almost all of his attention was focused on keeping his expression carefully neutral before Haechan's sharp scrutiny.

"You're awfully brave today," the puppy accused finally, tone halfway between furious and something like impressed. His hands finally dropped from his hips and moved to cross his arms purposefully across his bare chest. Johnny tried not to track the movement. 

"So what? You're done playing nice?" Haechan continued sharply as if he hadn't been the one looking for any excuse to clash, eyebrow raised in an expression of breezy annoyance but something in his tone betrayed a true anger at the idea. "You want to fight, is that it? You're ready to give up on our cute little truce? Today's the day?"

"No!" Johnny breathed despite himself. He finally gave in to his instincts, squirming slightly under the force of the puppy's attentions. Haechan's eyebrow arched further, a new interest settling onto his face. "That's not… I'm just tired of this. Of us, I- I don't like our... I don't like the way we treat each other, I don't know…"

Johnny trailed off lamely, letting out a quiet, shuddering sigh, looking down at his hands which were gripped together tightly in front of him. The last thing he wanted was screaming or violence. 

He just wanted something _ else. _He didn't let himself examine precisely what that something else might entail though. As with just about everything else, he was prepared to defer to Haechan on the matter. 

Whatever the puppy wanted, the puppy got - by now that much was clear. He's sure this would be no different. 

"You don't want to fight," Haechan's voice rang out, sure, almost accusing in tone. Johnny tried not to flinch. "Then what _ do _ you want?"

Johnny glanced up, unsure. Haechan was still leveling that same disarming gaze his way but his expression had softened minutely and the thumb of his right hand was now brushing slowly back and forth across a small patch of his chest rather distractingly. 

Why was he asking Johnny? 

Since when had Johnny ever gotten a say in what went on between them? 

Johnny wasn't sure what he wanted. He'd never thought he was allowed to have an opinion. 

He supposed he wanted the same thing he wanted from everyone - love and affection. 

Could he say that? Should he? 

"What do you want Johnny?" Haechan asked firmly, taking a single, purposeful step forward. 

It wasn't meant to be threatening, Johnny was fairly certain, but it was meant to be decisive. 

He didn't miss the use of his name either. Haechan never called him anything usually. But he had a bad habit of dropping honorifics with the humans, a habit that Doyoung still hadn't given up on attempting to break him of.

In this instance it felt like a very purposeful power play. 

And Johnny would let him of course, frustratingly happy to hear what his name sounded like when Haechan said it.

He was in big trouble.

For a moment he was overwhelmed by choice, still not entirely sure what he was allowed to ask for. He was nervous, ears down, tail close to the back of his legs. The puppy could probably sense it. He could probably smell it.

His mind returned to their first meeting and the strange stiltedness of their interactions.

“I want…” he said, throat catching nervously. He expected rejection. He still half expected a fight. “I just want to play.”

Haechan said nothing for a beat, looking him over impassively. Johnny fidgeted nervously,

“I- you never let me play with you. You never want me around. I just wanna play.”

Johnny was babbling now but he couldn’t help it. His request - though not explicit - was far from subtle in its implications. The puppy would know - he would _ know _ \- that what he was really asking for was for closeness and affection and attention. Johnny doubted that Haechan would be interested in giving it to him. At least, he had every reason to believe that - he thought - based on his treatment up til now.

“You want to play?” Haechan repeated, tone even, maybe a little curious. His neutral expression remained.

Johnny nodded, somewhat encouraged by the lack of immediate repulsion at the idea.

There was another pause.

“Okay,” Haechan allowed. There was a flash of something entirely self-satisfied before his expression melted into his sweetest, happy-go-lucky one. The one he gave other people but never Johnny. “Let’s play~”

Johnny allowed himself a moment to bask in the feeling of being on the receiving end of that look, heart beating wildly with nervous excitement. He wasn’t being rejected. Was he actually being accepted? By the stubborn puppy who had turned his world upside down for 6 months?

Was this really happening?

He watched as Haechan took a few more steps toward him, bouncing from one foot to the other, hands up - ready to wrestle, ready to play. His posture was relaxed, ears pointed up in interest, tail wagging easily.

Not nearly as enthusiastically as Johnny’s own, he realized, trying not to feel self conscious. He had the right to be excited, he thought.

Finally convinced that this was in fact, not a trick, Johnny all but dove at the younger dog. Haechan caught his hands with a laugh, but side stepped Johnny’s full weight, allowing him to stumble past him onto his knees.

Johnny retaliated, grabbing the puppy’s hands firmly and pulling him down after. Down on the ground, they began to paw and snap at each other, both giggling happily, neither managing to get a solid grip on the other - not that they were really trying.

As ridiculously excited as Johnny was, as much as he’d love nothing more than to wrap his arms around Haechan and squeeze all of his pent up affections into him, he was still being careful.

Besides, the puppy was actually surprisingly difficult to catch. Johnny would like to pretend it was because he wasn’t putting in 100% effort but honestly, he knew Haechan wasn’t either. Every time Johnny managed to crowd him, to grapple for him, the puppy always managed to slip out of his grip. Johnny was a little surprised at his defensive playing style, knowing his personality, but again he figured the puppy must be going easy on him. Johnny was alright with that. He was kind of in heaven.

Eventually though, the puppy started to push. He faked Johnny out, making to knock him off balance with a firm push to the shoulders that would have definitely sent Johnny tumbling if not for the sheer difference in size and strength. He did stumble though, scrambling to steady himself to which Haechan only barked out a laugh, clearly disappointed but not quite annoyed that his trick hadn’t worked. He advanced again, attempting to take advantage of Johnny’s imbalance - clearly intending to take their wrestling to the ground.

Johnny meant to take it easy - their delicate peace was still fragile after all - but his competitive nature got the better of him and he couldn’t just allow himself to be taken that easily. He caught Haechan’s outstretched hands, turning into the direction he’d been teetering - where the puppy had smartly been aiming to push - giving his hands a tug that caused Haechan to stumble before quickly letting go. It ended up being a little too effective as Haechan was sent tumbling onto his side.

Panicked, Johnny practically dove after him, not thinking about how aggressive that might look, especially from someone as big as himself. The puppy hadn’t landed too hard but he didn’t get up, turning wide eyes on Johnny’s rapidly approaching form.

He let out a whimper that stopped Johnny his tracks, hovering a few steps away, leaning his weight on one knee and hand, the other almost reaching out. Haechan instantly rolled onto his back, hands pulled up to his chest, knees bent, tail pulled up toward his stomach, chin tucked into his chest, eyes locked on Johnny’s.

Johnny quirked his head to one side, confused, ears going back and forth from perched forward to pressed back a few times. Had he actually scared him? Was the puppy… was the puppy actually..?

He was frozen as the puppy slowly lowered his arms and tail and carefully, ever so carefully made to sit up, head still bent low, eyes still on the bigger dog.

Johnny thought he should apologize. He thought he should say _ something _ but his mouth felt dry and unusable.

Haechan finally sat up fully, feet beneath him, almost level with him.

Johnny expected to see anger in his expression, expected that to be the end of their truce.

The only thing on Haechan’s face for a moment was wide-eyed bewilderment, seemingly unsure as to how he wanted to feel.

That expression disappeared with a flash of fiery triumph in the half second before Haechan hurled himself forward, bringing the two of them crashing down onto the hard floor.

It was pure instinct that prevented Johnny from slamming his head on the ground but he was still reeling, head spinning in surprise.

The puppy took advantage of his disorientation to grab each of Johnny’s hands, pinning them roughly to his chest and pressing down firmly to hold them in place. Haechan’s knees straddled Johnny’s hips as he rested his weight heavily on Johnny’s waist.

Johnny was completely stunned. He would never in a million years have expected Haechan to be willing to feign submission just to pin him. He’d never even considered it.

He looked up at the puppy’s looming form, gazing down at him with a lot of self-satisfaction and a little bit of something else Johnny couldn’t quite define. Whatever it was, it made Johnny’s stomach twist and plummet in the same thrilling way that riding a roller coaster did.

Neither of them said anything for a few beats and Johnny shifted a little restlessly beneath Haechan.

Obviously, if he really wanted he could free himself - yank his wrists out of the puppy’s grip, flip his body off of him - but that was honestly the last thing he would possibly consider doing in that moment.

“I win,” Haechan said finally, slow smirk spreading across his face. It was the quietest Johnny had ever heard him speak. His stomach dropped pleasantly again.

“You always win,” Johnny managed, his own voice barely above a whisper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was never meant to be a slow burn lol but here we are.  
I genuinely hope this did more to tide you over than annoy you with it's brevity.  
I'll do my best not to make you wait as long for the last installment!  
I'm also super flattered by the response to this fic so far! I think we were all starved for johnhyuck content tbh lol, especially with all the crumbs we've been getting in 127's content lately~  
Let me know what you think!


	3. Sunkissed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi... sorry... lol  
It's finally here! The end! Thank god at this point...  
THis was never supposed to be this like... behemoth of a fic. I swear it was like a short little drabble oneshot in my mind. If brevity is really the soul of wit, I must be a moron lol.  
And y'all... I looked up so much freaking dog body language for this T_T help. I will henceforth always know exactly what a dog thinks about me at all times, so that's a fun side effect.
> 
> Anyway, there is some smut in this chapter and just a fair warning it's my first explicit sex scene so like... let's keep our expectations reasonable.  
Mind the updated tags and hopefully enjoy.

Johnny was completely stunned. He would never in a million years have expected Haechan to be willing to feign submission just to pin him. He’d never even considered it.

He looked up at the puppy’s looming form, gazing down at him with a lot of self-satisfaction and a little bit of something else Johnny couldn’t quite define. Whatever it was, it made Johnny’s stomach twist and plummet in the same thrilling way that riding a roller coaster did.

Neither of them said anything for a few beats and Johnny shifted a little restlessly beneath Haechan.

Obviously, if he really wanted he could free himself - yank his wrists out of the puppy’s grip, flip his body off of him - but that was honestly the last thing he would possibly consider doing in that moment.

“I win,” Haechan said finally, slow smirk spreading across his face. It was the quietest Johnny had ever heard him speak. His stomach dropped pleasantly again.

“You always win,” Johnny managed, his own voice barely above a whisper.

They stared at each other for a few seconds in silence before Haechan laughed a little darkly, causing Johnny’s heart to sink.

“It’s funny you say that,” the puppy said a little louder with some of his typical bravado, readjusting his grip on Johnny’s wrists, pressing them into his chest a little harder. Johnny winced. “Since you admit you don’t enjoy our current relationship, there’s a conversation we’re gonna have to have, although I can’t believe I need to spell it out for you.”

His tone was just harsh enough to make Johnny flinch slightly, ears drooping nervously. He didn’t say anything, not wanting to annoy the puppy further, reminding himself not to hold his breath as he waited for the ball to drop.

“You’re a dog, aren’t you Johnny?” Haechan asked sharply, causing him to blink in surprise. He expected this to be a rhetorical question but the puppy seemed to be waiting for an answer.

“I-” Johnny sputtered out, but Haechan immediately interrupted him.

“I mean, I know we’re hybrids so it’s a little different, and I know you’re more human than dog half the time, and I also know you’re a weird cat lover,” the puppy continued in his usual snotty tone that made Johnny frown, biting his lip over the small flare of annoyance that rose up inside him. “But you have to know about canine dynamics, don’t you? You can’t possibly be so oblivious…”

There was another lingering pause that implied room for a response, but Johnny wasn’t going to fall for it again. Instead he simply looked up at the puppy reproachfully, waiting.

“I know you’re all very ‘progressive’ and ‘egalitarian’ or whatever,” Haechan continued, laughing meanly when Johnny’s expression turned offended at the obvious distaste with which this declaration was made, “but you’re kidding yourself if you think two dogs can live together peacefully without establishing hierarchy. Pretending that it’s unnecessary won’t solve anything…”

Johnny dropped his gaze, feeling his face heat up. He did understand some of the posturing and challenging was sometimes necessary between hybrids but… it was usually such a passing moment he hardly thought about it. He had honestly never explicitly considered that this was the big thing leaving them in limbo, though it seemed frustratingly clear as soon as the puppy said it. He suddenly felt like the world’s biggest idiot.

Then there was a hand angling his chin up and he found himself looking into Haechan’s eyes once more. Johnny couldn’t bring himself to meet his gaze directly so he settled on somewhere around his nose and mouth.

“You really weren’t pretending, were you? That’s cute…” Haechan asked, voice raising in amusement. Johnny risked another glance, only to see a cruel gleam in the puppy’s eyes but the hand now caressing his cheek felt almost tender. The contrast made his stomach churn curiously. “I don’t know whether I should be relieved that you weren’t fighting me on purpose or annoyed that you’re so clueless. Either way, I’ve been waiting on you to cave so, honestly, you’ve still brought your suffering on yourself.”

Johnny couldn’t help pouting at this. He already felt like a fool, he didn’t need the puppy rubbing it in. And he didn’t need any more reason to regret pining away over their dissonance.

Haechan’s gaze flicked over with interest. His hand still resting on Johnny’s cheek, the puppy moved to graze his thumb carefully over his bottom lip. His expression grew more amused watching Johnny’s adam’s apple bob as he swallowed weakly.

“But there’s something more, I think…” Haechan murmured, still looking him over. “You know there’s only two ways this can go. One of us has to submit to the other. You  _ have _ to know that I won’t be willing to submit without a fight. And you don’t like to fight… I don’t even think you actually like to lead. So what’s stopping you from submitting, huh? I know you like to be good for the humans… Why won’t you be good for me?”

The last question came out almost as a purr and Johnny thought the puppy must be able to feel the way his heart began pounding in his chest.

For all of his supposed cluelessness (which was probably more like denial now that he thought about it), even he had been aware that he was purposefully being a little stubborn, unwilling to totally give in and make himself vulnerable before Haechan. But why, he wondered, gazing up at the pretty puppy with the baby face and the larger than life attitude. Lying there with Haechan’s warm body on top of him, with one hand still pinned to his chest, feeling the comforting hand on his cheek, the puppy’s argument felt… entirely convincing.

“I… I didn’t think you wanted me,” Johnny said, fighting the urge to duck his head. He might as well be honest now that they were finally having the discussion. “I didn’t think you liked me. I didn’t want… I was afraid to give you too much just to be rejected. You never-”

“I wanted you the first time we met,” Haechan interrupted rather sharply, frowning in a way that wasn’t mean, but simply disapproving. As if he didn’t like the direction Johnny’s thoughts were going. “I loved the way you smell - fresh and comforting, almost cottony like clean linens in the breeze. I wanted to wrap you around me. But you were a big dog, and big dogs always think they’re in charge. They throw their weight around without even thinking and don’t consider me a challenge, so I had to put you in your place. I didn’t expect you to draw back so far but that just felt like another challenge to me.”

"You take everything as a challenge! That's not my fault," Johnny couldn't help but tease, grinning a little despite himself. He expected the puppy to bite back, to roll his eyes or get annoyed but Haechan merely grinned down at him. 

There was something in that carefree, satisfied smile that sent Johnny's heart sputtering again. He didn't know if he would ever get over his excitement at being on the receiving end of looks like that. 

"I love the way you smell too…" he blurted out. "I don't know how to describe it but it makes me think of hot summer days and cool autumn nights and I-"

"Is that why you didn't scent your shirt when you took it back?" Haechan interrupted, tone perfectly innocent but his gaze turned devilishly proud. Johnny didn't reply, mouth still agape as the puppy finally released his other hand, freeing his own to roam over Johnny's chest casually. 

The loss of stability set Haechan resting his hips upon Johnny's more heavily. Johnny's breath hitched ever so slightly at the increased pressure, noting not for the first time the closeness of Haechan's ass to his own groin. 

"I smelled it as soon as I walked in last night, you know," the puppy said, sounding more than a little smug. "I didn’t mean to wake you up… I couldn't help myself."

Suddenly he rolled his hips back and Johnny desperately pressed his lips together to keep any embarrassing sounds from escaping but he couldn't stop his ab muscles from instinctively clenching as the motion had Haechan grinding over his dick, however intentional. 

The puppy slid back even farther and bent down until his face was practically pressed into the fabric of Johnny's shirt over his stomach, inhaling deeply before looking up at Johnny with half-lidded eyes. 

"I like when you smell like me," he breathed, lowering himself further to wrap his arms loosely around Johnny's waist and resting his chin on the older dog's tummy. 

Johnny was going to have a heart attack.

"Wow, I've never been able to feel someone's heartbeat from their stomach before," Haechan declared in something between a laugh and a coo. This comment didn't help matters at all. 

The puppy's chest was now what pressed heavily against his crotch and with his gaze and that tone and all this pressure, Johnny was going to be in even bigger trouble soon. 

Haechan knew it too, he was certain. Haechan always knew exactly what he was thinking. At least that's what it felt like. 

The only question was would he use this knowledge to help Johnny or hurt him? But Johnny knew the answer, really, when he thought about it. 

Haechan would always,  _ always _ use his knowledge in the way that best suited himself. So the most Johnny could hope for was a little bit of both. 

As if on cue, Haechan unwrapped his arms from Johnny's waist, propping himself up just enough to begin to crawl forward, making sure to brush the entire length of his body over Johnny's dick over his shorts as he went, drawing a small hiss from Johnny in the process. 

It was more than enough and Johnny's face began to heat up as he felt himself starting to get hard just as the puppy parked his ass firmly over Johnny's hips once more just north of his dick. 

"You know, if nothing else, I can guarantee one thing," Haechan said pointedly, both hands resting heavily on his chest once more, "if you just submit to me, I promise I'll let you play with me all the time~"

Was Johnny on fire? 

He was far too warm now, it must have been incredibly obvious to the puppy, who simply smiled down at him sweetly - a lie of an expression if he'd ever seen one. 

Johnny found himself frozen, not so much in indecision as simply being overwhelmed with feelings. Perhaps sensing this, Haechan quirked an eyebrow, looking Johnny over in a way that sent his stomach swooping dangerously again. 

"Don't you want to play with me, Johnny?" the puppy crooned, leaning back until his ass nearly  _ nearly _ grazed his dick and ran one hand back until it gripped the top of Johnny's left thigh, again fingers a mere whisper away from actually brushing against his length. 

He was beyond sure the younger dog could feel the effect this had on his growing erection. He was too wrapped up in trying to focus on everything that was happening to decide whether or not he was embarrassed by this.

"Don't you want to make me happy? Don't you want to make me feel good?" Haechan asked, sounding as amused and unaffected as anyone could possibly be. Johnny fought a groan, biting his lip to shoot the puppy a reproachful look. 

"Oh save your pouting and make up your mind," Haechan growled finally, eyes still dancing with amusement. 

There was the puppy he knew. The impatient, demanding, unapologetic one. Suddenly, Johnny wasn't so bothered by these qualities. Suddenly they were actually spurring him on rather than pushing him away.

Johnny ears pressed down against his head and he pulled his hands up until they hovered over his chest, palms down, fingers together, limp at the wrists. He spread his legs wider and leaned his head back to one side until his throat was exposed, panting slightly as he kept his gaze focused somewhere around Haechan's mouth and chin. 

There was a terribly long moment where neither of them said anything. Despite earlier reassurances, Johnny began to feel a bit anxious and exposed. 

"I've never had to..." he started, gaze wildly roaming everywhere but Haechan's face. "I never-"

"And now you have," the puppy said finally, tone shockingly tender. Johnny risked a glance at his face, still looking no higher than his mouth. 

Haechan's mouth was parted, hint of an ambiguous smile around the edges. Johnny watched, fascinated as his licked mindlessly over his bottom lip.

Then he was suddenly out of sight, leaning forward to bring his face right into the crook of Johnny's bared neck, inhaling deeply before nosing his way up, opening his mouth to place his sharp teeth gently over the front of Johnny's throat. 

He remained there for a moment, moving just enough that Johnny felt the drag of sharp teeth on skin, far from uncomfortable. Then Haechan moved to mouth against the side of his neck once more. This time, however, the puppy leaned in, taking the smallest bit of skin between his teeth and biting down until Johnny cried out, more in surprise than pain (though there was some pain as well).

"Sorry," Haechan murmured, releasing almost immediately and licking the area over rather apologetically. "It's just… a momentous occasion~ I need a little something to remember it by."

"There are nicer ways to leave marks," Johnny argued weakly as Haechan pulled back, turning the older dog's chin so he could look him over carefully. Johnny finally allowed himself to meet Haechan's gaze, excited to find both teasing warmth and a different type of heat entirely in his eyes. Johnny thought he wouldn't mind letting the puppy cover him in hickeys if he was going to look at him like that. 

"The humans don't need a big neon sign," Haechan said dismissively, bringing his hand up to Johnny's neck, tracing the little red mark he'd left with his thumb. "It's just for me."

Johnny's stomach plummeted pleasantly once more. 

“Well! Now that that’s taken care of…” Haechan said brightly, leaning back heavily on the arm that still gripped Johnny’s thigh, flexing and unflexing his fingers so that they  _ definitely _ made (infuriatingly soft, brief) contact with his dick. Johnny could only lay back and watch as the puppy’s lids drooped low, fixing him with a look that was equal parts smoldering and teasing, “I can let you play with me now~”

Haechan let his free hand trace over his own bare side and down his stomach tantalizingly slow until it finally came to rest over his as yet still languid cock. Johnny didn’t bother to cloak the groan followed, a mixture of arousal and annoyance. Nothing he felt for Haechan was ever straightforward.

Of course the puppy would purposefully get him riled up only to offer the "honor" of getting _him_ off. Johnny couldn’t say he was surprised. He ignored the way this demand, along with the vision of Haechan gazing down at Johnny imperially as he began to rub himself lazily over his skimpy little shorts, made him even harder.

The puppy seemed to notice his underlying frustration.

“What?” Haechan teased, with a salacious grin. “I’ve waited months for you to finally get your shit together. Why should I have to wait any longer?”

Johnny bit his lip but didn’t reply, gaze captured by the smooth curve of Haechan’s exposed thighs. He tentatively reached both hands to grip each of them firmly, waiting for a signal of rebuke from the puppy. When none came, Johnny allowed his hands to roam the supple skin more freely, tracing the firm muscles with his thumb as he tried to soak in the sight of Haechan’s mostly naked body. The puppy practically glowed, perfect bronze skin pulled taut over his thighs, arms, and chest with the barest amount of extra soft flesh over his adorable tummy.

Johnny could happily spend his time tracing over every inch of him.

“Pretty,” Johnny murmured, more to himself than anyone else but the puppy smirked nonetheless.

“Not as pretty as your mouth~ Feel like putting it to good use?” Haechan purred, turning the hand that still rested on Johnny’s thigh until his fingers were actually brushing over his clothed cock now. Still frustratingly light and ineffective but the most pressure Johnny had gotten in ten minutes.

The older dog sucked a gasp of air in, immediately coloring in mild embarrassment. He certainly wasn’t the least experienced when it came to sex but there  _ were _ areas where he felt somewhat… out of his depth.

“It’s- uh, it’s kind of been a while since I slept with anyone,” he admitted carefully, looking away, pose instinctively submissive once more as he continued to trace his hands over the puppy’s smooth thighs, craving the contact more than ever.

“And I get to break your drought?” Haechan cooed teasingly. “I’m honored.”

Johnny allowed himself a rueful grin before his concerned frown returned, eye still pointedly avoiding Haechan’s.

“It’s just that I haven’t… I never-”

“Oh don’t- so have you never actually slept with a guy?” the puppy asked and Johnny couldn’t help but feel a bit appreciative at the way he was obviously trying to keep the vexation from his tone.

God, how bare minimum could Johnny possibly be.

“No, no, it’s not that,” Johnny said, forcing himself to turn back and meet the puppy’s gaze once more. Haechan had given up on touching himself, half-hard bulge now visible through his shorts. He straightened up, noticing Johnny’s nervousness, leaning forward to cup the older dog’s chin reassuringly with one hand, and gently stroking one ear with the other. The fact that Johnny was half lying on his tail didn’t stop it from wagging wildly at this. “I’ve been with a few actually, but… I don’t know. Maybe because I have a thing for pretty boys but they all seem to look at me and just think…”

He trailed off.

“So you’ve never given head?” Haechan surmised, leaning back again, allowing his hands to trail down Johnny’s neck and chest as he went before finally coming to rest on his stomach. He looked down at Johnny thoughtfully, tapping his fingers idly.

“I’m totally willing!” Johnny assured him instantly, the urge to please suddenly overwhelming him. “I mean I’ve been on the receiving end, it can’t be that hard! As long as you tell me what you like…”

“Hmm,” the puppy hummed noncommittally, appearing thoughtful. Johnny finally released his thighs, propping himself up on his elbows to look the other dog over imploringly, starting to worry.

“Don’t stress, pup,” Haechan reassured him soothingly, noticing as Johnny’s nervousness grew. Johnny perked up at the use of the humans’ pet name for him. Why did it feel so different when Haechan said it? “I’m just thinking about the best course of action.”

Sufficiently reassured that he’d managed to retain Haechan’s interest, Johnny decided to try speeding up the process somewhat. He was still hard and the puppy was still looking like a sunkissed dream hovering above him, expression serious and thoughtful.

Johnny leaned back again, drawing his hands to his chest once more, and pulling his chin back somewhat before letting out a very strategic whine, low and long.

Haechan’s eyes snapped over to him immediately, growling low in his throat before he even knew what he was doing. Johnny didn’t miss the noticeable jerk of his dick beneath the fabric of his shorts. He couldn’t say he was surprised.

“Ah, getting impatient are we?” Haechan asked silkily, baring his teeth like he wanted something to sink them into. Johnny would happily comply.

“You said I would get to play,” he replied, a touch sullenly, not interested in hiding the hint of desperation in his voice. He was fairly certain it would work in his favor.

“That I did,” Haechan agreed, looking Johnny over with renewed interest, and maybe even a bit impressed? “But I’ve decided I want to play with you first.”

Johnny turned to look at him fully, surprise apparent. He started to sit up again and Haechan held up a hand to stop him but seemed to think better of it.

“Take off your shirt,” the puppy ordered instead, watching closely as Johnny moved to obey.

Shirt discarded haphazardly over his shoulder, Johnny could practically feel Haechan’s eyes rake over him. Somehow being on the receiving end of weeks of intense staring had not prepared him for the weight of the younger dog’s gaze in such an intimate situation. It was a little overwhelming suddenly and Johnny felt himself getting warm. The heat only increased as Haechan leaned forward to drag his nails lightly over Johnny’s toned abs and chest, leaving harmless red marks in their wake.

When he reached his shoulders, Haechan carefully but firmly pushed him down so that he was laying flat on his back once more. He seemed to prefer being the one hovering above Johnny, looking down. Now that he thought about it, Haechan had always put more importance in body language and physicality than he had, so it really didn’t come as a shock that he’d want to remain physically dominant. That explained his grudge against big dogs.

To be perfectly honest, Johnny didn’t mind being made to feel small once in a while.

He watched carefully as Haechan continued to gaze down at him, a little hungrier now, reaching out to touch Johnny’s lips with his finger. He allowed his finger to graze along Johnny’s jaw, down his throat before bringing both hands to feel appreciatively over his chest and shoulders, tweaking his nipple cheekily before roaming once again over his abs and waist.

Being on the receiving end of the intense look in Haechan’s eye, of not only his attention but his genuine interest, was doing more for Johnny than he felt it should.

He finally allowed himself to do more than just lay there luxuriating under said attention, moving his hands almost shyly to cover Haechan’s, before running them gently up his arms then eventually settling around his waist. The puppy allowed this just as long as he continued to feel Johnny up. Before long, however, he was moving along - shaking himself out of Johnny’s loose grip and physically sliding his body down (with as much frustrating contact with Johnny’s cock as possible) until he was kneeling between the older dog’s legs.

“Hips up,” Haechan ordered, slipping his fingers under the waistband of Johnny’s basketball shorts tentatively. When Johnny immediately obeyed, the puppy grinned, appearing satisfied. He pulled the shorts off first, taking his time to toss them unceremoniously aside, making Johnny wait there - heels dug into the floor, ass in the air - before then removing his underwear, fighting a bit with Johnny’s tail as he did.

Johnny finally lowered himself back down, watching with some dismay as Haechan flung his boxer briefs with absolute disregard somewhere across the room.

But that suddenly mattered a lot less when the puppy’s hands roamed up his thighs, squeezing and working small circles with his thumbs - slowly, ever so slowly, making their way closer to Johnny’s exposed cock.

Neither of them spoke as Haechan positioned himself in between Johnny’s thighs, getting comfortable on his knees. The puppy let go of one hand, placing it on the floor beside Johnny’s waist instead, propping himself up firmly.

When he was finally satisfied, he shot Johnny a knowing grin, locking eyes with a lustful look almost bordering on predatory.

"Think of this as an introductory lesson and make sure to pay close attention," Haechan murmured in a tone of voice much more intimate than his matter-of-fact words otherwise revealed. Johnny nearly laughed, unable to imagine doing anything else. "I may not be much of a teacher but when it comes to practical experience, I'm your man~"

Johnny nodded, swallowing thickly as the puppy leaned down until his face was mere inches from his fully hard dick, where he paused.

“With that in mind…” Haechan said, tantalizingly, teasingly close, looking at Johnny with the most devastatingly gorgeous, entirely smug expression of temptation that he’d ever seen, breath ghosting over Johnny’s exposed skin. “Want me to blow you?”

“Please,” the older dog breathed, almost before the sentence was complete, not caring if the question was half crude and entirely unromantic. Johnny was fairly certain he’d never wanted anything more.

“Such good manners,” Haechan murmured with a chuckle before opening his mouth to lick a long strip of saliva from the base of his cock all the way up to the tip.

Johnny let out a low groan which turned into more of a whine when the puppy immediately blew a puff of cool air over it, causing the older dog to shiver.

“You’re just gonna tease?” Johnny demanded (or at least he tried to demand. In reality it came out more as a huffy squeak), squirming his legs a bit, jostling a now laughing Haechan slightly.

“Oh relax, I won’t  _ just _ tease,” the puppy shot back, moving his other hand from where it remained on Johnny’s thigh to play lightly with his balls.

“I thought I was supposed to be learning from this. Is this really how you want me to-” Johnny choked on the end of his sentence as Haechan licked him over again, tongue hot and wet on his dick.

He watched in mild fascination as the puppy allowed his extra spit to dribble out over the length of Johnny’s cock until it was slick enough to slide in Haechan’s firm grasp.

“And I thought I was the whiny brat,” the puppy said, all poisoned sweetness as he began to pump Johnny slowly with the occasional twist of his wrist, surprising him by thumbing over the slit on the upstroke.

Johnny bit his lip but moaned quietly anyway. Another time he might have tried to think of a comeback for that but not here. Not under Haechan like this. He could say whatever he wanted at this point and Johnny would be too focused on the feeling of him to care.

Haechan slide his hand down around the base, leaning down to take Johnny into his mouth fully now. He bobbed over him a few times experimentally, hollowing his cheeks to suck on the way up. He didn’t try to make it past about halfway down the length, allowing his hand to cover the rest, moving in time with his mouth to ensure Johnny was still taken care of. Nothing about the affair was hurried, Haechan watching Johnny watch him with a vague smirk that the older dog could  _ feel _ . There was never a doubt that the puppy was confident but suddenly Johnny was struck with the rogue notion that Haechan could not be bothered to try to impress.

Not that it mattered. Everything he did left Johnny sighing, whining, or groaning at the sensation. He was good and he knew it.

“Seems like- ugh,” Johnny groaned weakly as the puppy pulled off of him with a pop, only to wrap his lips back around the head, licking and sucking with enthusiasm and his hand continued to pump. “Seems like you’ve had practice…”

He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to voice this particular thought. Petty jealousy maybe? But why when he had the puppy’s undivided attention for the first time since they’d met? Either way, Haechan only let out an amused snort, pulling back with a few additional licks as he went.

“Why? You the type who gets off on past exploits?” he asked lips still pressed to the head of Johnny’s cock, torn between taunting and interest. Johnny felt himself heat slightly, which must have shown on his face if the expression of pure devilishness was anything to go by.

“As much as I’d love to indulge you, I can’t talk and suck you off at the same time,” Haechan teased mercilessly, moving to nip lightly at one of his thighs, then at his lower stomach. Johnny remained quiet, wondering if he actually was that type, still not brave or willing enough to bother to argue back.

Haechan laughed again, not quite meanly but certainly teasing.

“Anyway, you better be paying attention to the technique I’ve got going on here,” he quipped, sounding surprisingly fond. “There  _ will _ be a test later.”

Johnny whimpered as he was engulfed against in the wet heat of the puppy’s mouth. He moved with more purpose this time, seeming to finally be taking it seriously. He couldn’t help writhing slightly under the touch, hands moving erratically around the floor beside him, then over his own body, not entirely sure what to do with them. He ran a tentative hand through Haechans’ hair and over his ears, keeping it there when he received no rejection. He groaned the puppy sucked and licked away at him, rubbing mindlessly at his ears only to receive a pleased noise that resulted in vibrations so delicious it had Johnny arching his back with a low moan.

He must have accidentally pushed down on Haechan’s head because the puppy let out a choked noise before abruptly pulling off with a small scowl.

Johnny had to stop himself from crying out at the loss of contact (figuring his dramatics wouldn’t necessarily be appreciated) but was thankfully distracted by the glistening string of saliva that trailed from his own dick to Haechan’s swollen lips.

Now that was a sight he would haunt him in the best way.

“Are you trying to kill me?” the puppy demanded, swatting Johnny’s hand away in annoyance. “I didn’t say you could just go to town…”

“It was an accident,” Johnny tried, yelping when Haechan abruptly pinched the soft flesh of his upper thigh, precariously close to his crotch.

“Yeah, sure. And so was that,” Haechan bit back sarcastically, looking down at Johnny with an expression of mild disdain that was all too familiar. “I’m not interested in being handled roughly, especially by you. So it you aren’t going to lay back and let me work-”

“I’m sorry! It just felt so good, please,” Johnny said desperately. He couldn’t go back to being on the receiving end of those mean, disapproving looks, not once he’d managed to bask in the glow of his favor. Rejection from the puppy now, in such a physically exposed, intimate moment might actually kill him. He didn’t even think, wiggling himself closer to Haechan, still below him, curling his body until he was partially snuggled up to his arm and chest as much as possible. He looked up at him pleadingly. “I just want you, whatever you’re willing to give, it- it doesn’t matter…”

He trailed off, tucking his chin to his chest and resting his head against the smaller dog’s arm. There was a drawn out silence.

"Johnny?" 

He was almost startled by the sudden gentleness of the tone as he looked up to find Haechan staring down at him with a decidedly unfamiliar expression. It was a disbelief almost verging on wonder. 

"You like me," the puppy said. It was a statement but one that still left a little room for argument, tinged with a hint of sharpness that felt slightly accusatory. For some reason, surprisingly, it almost made Johnny want to chuckle. 

"Yes," he answered immediately, voicing his initial gut reaction. He hadn't yet taken a moment to address his feelings directly, having gone from repressing to embracing over the course of less than an hour (talk about emotional whiplash) but it was still the answer that felt true. 

"Why?" Haechan asked, sounding merely perplexed now. This actually made Johnny chuckle. 

"Hell if I know," he said with a grin, finally allowing himself the comfort of wrapping his arms around Haechan's waist and squeezing some of the pent up affection he'd been carrying around for the better part of half a year into the embrace. It was a little awkward, with Haechan still between his legs, his own body hunched over to one side but in Johnny's mind it was worth it. 

To his delight he felt a hand in his hair and he glanced up to see the puppy considering him carefully while absentmindedly stroking his ears. Johnny nuzzled his face into Haechan’s chest, drawing his lips softly across bare skin, humming happily as the ear scritches grew more purposeful.

“Good boy,” Haechan murmured absently, and Johnny pressed a small kiss into his skin under his collar bone to keep himself from smiling too widely. “I’ll never admit this to the hyungs, but they were actually right - you’re pretty perfect. I always thought you were faking…”

Johnny stilled, cheek still pressed against Haechan’s chest. He could hear the puppy’s even heartbeat and suddenly his face felt too warm.

“Johnny~” Haechan called out, all sing-song and sweetness. “Look at me, pup.”

The hand that had been petting his hair moved under Johnny’s chin and tilted it up until their eyes met, leaning away briefly to get a good look at him. 

"I'm going to kiss you now," Haechan said sweetly and Johnny felt his heart race as he leaned his face down until their lips were mere inches apart. "Is that okay?"

"That's, I- yes," Johnny murmured, marveling at their sudden intimacy. Sure, the puppy had already had Johnny's dick in his mouth but they'd skipped all of the nice, affectionate build up. Until now. 

Haechan pressed his lips to Johnny's with a soft sort of fervor that lit him up from the inside, cupping Johnny's face with one hand as their mouths moved together. Johnny wrapped his arms around the puppy's back, adjusting until he was sitting up properly before him and Haechan pulled his mouth away with a comically loud smack only to look him over with a grin before diving back in. Johnny giggled wildly at this, smiling into the kisses, obliging with his tongue when Haechan opened his mouth invitingly. 

He sighed happily as the puppy nibbled at his bottom lip, tilting his head back easily as Haechan moved to place small kisses across his jaw before beginning to move down his neck. This certainly wasn’t what he’d expected - it felt like more than he ever dared hope for. He knew that Haechan, despite sometimes being a little punk and a royal pain in the ass, did in fact contain a deep well of affection - the puppy was simply very particular upon when and whom he bestowed said favor. Still, he’d felt doomed never to experience it first hand, let alone to this degree.

Haechan returned his lips to Johnny’s, licking into his mouth just a bit greedier now, allowing his free hand to trace over Johnny’s chest and down his stomach. He drew a gasp from the older dog as he gave his tongue a gentle suck before pulling him into a long, deep kiss.

Johnny was just starting to think he wouldn’t mind doing this all day when a firm hand wrapping itself around the base of his cock had him choking out a whine against Haechan’s lips.

“You didn’t think I forgot, right?” Haechan murmured as he began to stroke Johnny’s erection back to full hardness. He grinned at the noises Johnny was starting to make, punctuating his question with a peck on the lips. “Let’s try this again.” Another peck. “For real this time.”

Haechan pressed one last hard, closed mouth kiss onto his lips, moving the hand that wasn’t currently working a cock to gently guide Johnny back until he was laying flat on the ground once more. There he finally pulled away, smiling down at Johnny before sliding down comfortably between his legs. And it was clear that yes, now Haechan meant business. Johnny didn’t bother trying to suppress any of the needy noises he drew out, trying to focus on every pleasurable feeling as if he could burn it into his memory to take out and admire in the future.

Haechan bobbed up and down over him, making use of his mouth and hand, paying extra attention to the head where all the nerve endings were concentrated, sucking and licking over the slit. Johnny was a goner. Once the puppy had decided to put his full effort into the action, he lasted barely ten minutes before he was tapping frantically on Haechan’s shoulder in warning as he found himself rather at a loss for words.

Haechan quickly pulled off, stroking him to completion, smirking as he directed Johnny to shoot off all over his own stomach and chest (on purpose, Johnny was certain).

“Hold still, let’s get you cleaned off,” the puppy said brightly, as if he wasn’t the reason Johnny was a mess in the first place. He stood up, making to grab a handful of paper towels, which Johnny snatched from him impatiently,sitting up and wiping himself down blindly as Haechan settled down before him, unable to take his eyes off the bulge in the puppy’s little sleep shorts.

“Okay your turn,” Johnny announced, throwing the sullied, crumpled paper towels in the general direction of the garbage can without even looking. He knew his tail was wagging obnoxiously but he no longer had it in him to feel embarrassed by his enthusiasm. Not when he knew the puppy liked it anyway.

“Well… someone’s eager,” Haechan said with a snort. He was teasing but Johnny thought the little grin that played at the corner of his mouth looked pretty self-satisfied, like he was flattered.

“You’re so pretty. I just wanna make you feel good,” Johnny replied honestly, smiling sweetly when it caused Haechan to pause and look him over with something like admiration.

“I can get behind that,” Haechan allowed with a smile of his own. He looked around before moving to lean against the side of the counter comfortably, locking eyes with Johnny as he palmed himself over his shorts. “Let’s see what you can do~”

Johnny relished the shiver that went through him at the invitation.

He crawled over to the puppy on all fours, plopping down onto his stomach and hugging his around the waist, nosing at the bulge in his pants, breathing in deeply.

“You smell so good,” Johnny murmured, mouthing at him a little over the fabric.

“I bet I taste even better…”

Johnny grinned, tilting his head to one side to look up at the puppy joyfully. He squeezed him even tighter, suddenly full of affection.

“You look really good from this angle,” Haechan purred lowly, small smile still in place but eyes on Johnny all dark and sharp in their intent.

“Good enough for a kiss?” Johnny asked with all the coy sweetness he could muster. He didn’t expect himself to take the chance to tease but with the puppy gazing down at him with all the warmth and brightness of the sun, he couldn’t help but want what he wanted.

“You’re so needy,” Haechan said in a tone that suggested he’d like to sound dismissive but only managed to come out delighted. He reached down to ruffle Johnny’s ears affectionately. “Come here.”

Johnny propped himself up with his arms until they were nearly eye level and let the puppy kiss him long and deep until they were both smiling, satisfied.

“Alright, let’s do this thing,” Johnny muttered, almost to himself as he settled back down once more. He pulled Haechan’s shorts and underwear down around his knees, not bothering to remove them completely. He took a moment to admire Haechan’s naked dick, darker than the rest of him, hard and warm with pretty veins that ran down either side of his length.

Now Haechan may not have felt the need to try to impress - a lucky side effect of experience - but (for that same reason) Johnny certainly did. Plus, he was bigger. His mouth was bigger. What he lacked in experience he’d have to make up for in extra effort and enthusiasm.

Johnny licked over Haechan’s cock experimentally, taking a minute to appreciate the taste and shape. He continued licking and nipping at it, massaging his balls lightly as he did. The puppy sighed happily, leaning his head back against the counter, seemingly content to let Johnny do his thing.

Johnny was happy with the confidence but he wanted the puppy’s attention.

He took the shaft firmly in his hand, tapping Haechan’s thigh imploringly. Once the puppy’s eyes were on him, Johnny proceeded to begin licking and sucking over the head of his cock like it was the world’s best lollipop, holding unblinking eye contact as he did.

Haechan let out a surprisingly high pitched sound that was enough like a moan to fill Johnny with satisfied tingles, looking down at him like he was a fascinating puzzle.

Johnny could get used to being on the receiving end of that look.

So he decided it was time to try for extra credit.

Johnny leaned forward, taking as much of Haechan’s length as he could in one fell swoop, stopping just short of gagging. The ensuing groan the puppy let out made it entirely worth it. He kept his tongue pressed to the underside of his cock, bobbing experimentally, allowing the extra saliva that built up dribble out of his mouth, lubricating the whole process nicely. He hummed just like Haechan had on him, trying not to smile at the way it sent the puppy twitching.

“You’re a fast learner, I think I hate you,” Haechan muttered, sounding almost choked off.

Johnny, pulled back slowly, sucking deeply as he went until he finally pulled off, the puppy’s dick only propped up by the head resting on Johnny’s lower lip.

Haechan whined loudly at the loss while Johnny frowned slowly.

“That’s not a very nice thing to say,” he said evenly, Haechan’s dick bobbing amusingly with each word. “I don’t usually reciprocate sexual favors for people who hate me.”

Haechan huffed out another noise of complaint, staring down at Johnny imploringly but stubbornly refusing to apologize.

Johnny darted his tongue out, directly over his slit. Haechan choked again.

“At least say you don’t hate me,” Johnny requested pleasantly.

“I don’t hate you. I lied. I’m a liar.”

“Say you like me~”

There was a brief pause but Haechan’s gaze immediately softened.

“Yeah okay. I like you.”

Johnny grinned happily, taking his cock back in his mouth with enthusiasm.

He continued working the puppy, milking as many sighs and moans and groans as he could until he heard a strained,

“I’m close.”

Johnny had just a moment to consider whether he wanted to try swallowing the load but he decided that (based on earlier experience) Haechan preferred making a mess so he pulled off with a pop, leaning back far enough to lift his chin and open his mouth, holding the puppy’s gaze as he stuck his tongue out just a little.

“Holy shit,” Haechan murmured, giving himself a few more strokes before shooting off around Johnny’s mouth and chin as well as he could manage. Johnny closed his eyes just in case.

“I didn’t think a first time blow job was allowed to go that well,” Haechan continued, leaning forward to wipe some of his cum from Johnny’s chin into his waiting mouth, watching in wonder as Johnny licked around his finger.

“I’m an overachiever,” Johnny replied with a grin.

“That’s… very good to know,” Haechan said, leaning in to give him a quick peck on the lips. “Wait a sec.”

He ran to procure several more paper towels, returning to wipe Johnny’s face gently before handing the rest over for him to finish himself.

“So,” Johnny started once he’d successfully removed at least 95% of the sperm from his face.

“So,” Haechan echoed casually, kneeling before him with an expectant look.

“Are you gonna like… be nice to me now?” Johnny asked. It was a joke but he nearly cringed at the earnest edge in his tone. Haechan only grinned.

“Hmm, I’ll think about it,” he said teasingly, getting to his feet gingerly.

Johnny whined loudly, sinking back onto his heels, tail whipping around restlessly, ears drooping.

“Oh hush, you big baby,” Haechan laughed, stepping forward to hug Johnny’s head to his stomach gently. “Come on, let’s get dressed - unless you wanna shower first. I’m starving.”

  
  


It turned out, Haechan  _ was _ a lot nicer to him after that. 

Johnny found himself sitting across the kitchen table, head resting on his hand, gazing at him fondly as he ate, listening to the puppy go on and on about basically all the things in his life he'd never bothered to share while they were not yet getting along. In fact, it appeared that once Haechan had decided to start talking, he was never going to stop. 

Johnny was more than okay with that, as he listened to him recount half nonsensical stories of all the little adventures he liked to go on with his friends, of living in the shelter, of winning over Doyoung. 

But he didn't only talk about himself. He talked about the things that Taeyong had told him about Johnny, of observations he had made in his own (from all the watching), of hypotheses he'd made on the reasoning behind some of Johnny's more questionable decisions. All this with absolutely no shame and barely any judgement. 

Just by the time Haechan had finished his meal, Johnny was already a little overwhelmed by the weight of the puppy's attentions - he'd always believed that Haechan didn't think much of him at all. 

So he found himself unintentionally trailing after the puppy for the rest of the afternoon. He followed him as he tossed his dishes in the sink, he followed as Haechan moved to show him the video game he'd been into excitedly, he nearly followed him to the bathroom but thankfully caught himself halfway. 

At some point in the evening, their humans returned and while their presence did subdue the sheer enthusiasm of their interactions, Johnny knew he was hardly being subtle. He knew when he made eye contact with Taeyong after trailing behind an unusually over-eager Haechan who threw himself onto the man's lap. Johnny had settled onto the floor beside the couch, resting his chin on Doyoung's thigh, huffing happily over the immediate ear scratches this earned him, but his eyes remained on the puppy who was happily teasing Johnny's human about whatever amusing thing had caught his attention. 

He noticed Taeyong watching though, with a funny little knowing grin that Johnny dutifully ignored. His human didn't ask and even though he wasn't embarrassed by it, Johnny was grateful. 

He still wasn't exactly sure what their relationship was turning into so he was happy not to have to attempt to explain the change just yet. 

He knew when he'd followed Haechan back over near the TV, allowing the puppy to goad him into a verbal tussle over what to watch which turned into playful wrestling which ended with Johnny flat on his stomach with Haechan wiggling around on his back and biting harmlessly at his ears. The puppy giggled at the theatrical yelp Johnny let out as he tugged at them a bit and the older dog didn't miss the wide grin on Doyoung's face as he very obviously whacked Taeyong's side to make sure he was seeing it. 

He knew when the humans excused themselves to bed a little earlier than usual and honestly he really was thankful that they were happy about their hybrids finally getting along but he was even more thankful that they weren't rubbing it in their faces. And least not yet. 

Maybe they also worried that this tentative change was too fragile to tease and poke at just yet. 

As even Haechan began to wind down for the night, disappearing to shower and change, Johnny began to - well, not exactly worry but wonder. He wondered if everything about their relationship would remain this easy. If the puppy had just wanted to work some sexual frustration out of his system in a one time go. Johnny was sure things wouldn't go back to the way they were before but he also didn't know if they would turn out exactly the way he wanted them to. Even if he still wasn't sure exactly what he wanted from Haechan. But he knew he'd take what he was given.

When Johnny later emerged from the bathroom, having completed his nighttime routine, he saw Haechan standing just outside his bedroom door hovering in apparent indecision.

"Going to bed?" Johnny asked, pausing to look him over. Haechan nodded wordlessly, eyes fixed on something near the couch. 

"Well… goodnight then," Johnny offered, making to head for his bed. 

"Wait, stop!" the puppy cried, darting past him before Johnny could respond, or even really register. 

He watched as Haechan zoomed over to snatch up Johnny's bed from where it lay on the floor. Watching him struggle to control the giant cumbersome padding would have been very amusing if Johnny weren't so incredibly confused by what was going on. He stood there watching dumbly as the puppy shouldered past him into his own room, kicking aside a few of the rogue clothes and games he had scattered across the floor before letting Johnny's bed drop with a small thud. 

"There," he said, dusting off his hands, adjusting the bed with his foot before stepping back to admire his work. Then he turned to glace over his shoulder at Johnny expectantly.

"Are you… stealing my bed?" the bigger dog asked, feeling a weird mixture of surprise and dismay. 

Haechan turned to face him now, looking entirely unimpressed. 

"How awful do you think I am?" he asked a little accusingly before hurriedly adding, "Don't answer that." when Johnny opened his mouth. 

Johnny shut it again, looking from the bed, around the room, and finally back at Haechan. 

"Are you..?" he tried, hardly willing to believe that the puppy was really offering what he thought he was. 

"You should probably stay in here from now on," Haechan affirmed casually. "You were supposed to be in here anyway. It must be uncomfortable sleeping in the living room…"

The puppy had the grace to look remorseful and though it wasn't technically an apology, Johnny knew he would take it. He was still powerless to resist whatever it was Haechan wanted. And right now he wanted Johnny. 

He nodded slowly, unsure of quite what to say. He hesitated before making to enter Haechan's room. 

The puppy smiled but then seemed to realize something. He moved to block the doorway just as Johnny was about to cross the threshold. 

Johnny couldn't help but feel his heart sink, unable to shake the idea that this was some elaborate trick despite the apologetic look that crossed the puppy's face before settling on something more determined. 

"I'm going to let you in," he started, tone somewhat reassuring before adding, "I just need to make sure you understand the implications. I'm letting you into my territory because you submitted to me. If you hadn't I couldn't accept you in here like this."

Johnny merely stared at him, feeling a weird mixture of self-consciousness and passivity. He wasn't going to argue. 

"They'll know," Haechan said, a little more firmly now. "The hyungs. They'll know I wouldn't let you in without settling which one of us is on top."

His words made Johnny nearly shiver for entirely impure reasons, feeling himself getting a little hot with mild embarrassment and probably something else. 

"Are you trying to shame me for this, or..?" Johnny demanded, a little upset that the puppy felt the need to put him on the spot like this, to call him out so explicitly. Johnny had finally decided to trust him - he wouldn't have submitted otherwise. 

"No, no I'm not. I'm sorry," Haechan answered, expression softening as he reached up to rub Johnny's ears reassuringly. Then he let his hand fall down over his neck, tracing the small mark he'd left earlier with his thumb. And Johnny was bare minimum and this was the first time the puppy had ever given him a legitimate apology, so he found himself leaning into the touch like the sap he was. “I just had to make sure you were all in - that you understood exactly what our agreement means because now that I have you, I don’t plan on giving you up.”

This shouldn’t have sent Johnny’s heart backflipping the way it did but lord knew he was whipped so he might as well accept it.

“Don’t look so down, hyung~ I promise I’ll take good care of you from now on,” Haechan said comfortingly, wrapping his arms around Johnny’s middle and looking up at him with most ridiculous puppy eyes imaginable.

Johnny was still very much a goner.

And… he’d called him hyung. On his own volition!

He was gonna melt.

“Okay baby,” Johnny murmured, nestling his face against the top of Haechan’s head with a small sigh, missing the conspiratorial smile that crossed the smaller dog’s lips.

They stayed like that for a moment until Johnny was suddenly reminded of the conversation he’d had with Taeyong the night before (god, that felt like an eternity ago now).

"Hey…" he began carefully, nuzzling further against the puppy's hair. "I don't… I know you like to go out and explore and have adventures but I never really… Would you take me around the city? Without the humans. When we're both free. I've never really been brave enough to go alone."

Haechan immediately hummed happily, squeezing his tighter as he tilted his head back to get a good look at him. 

"Of course! I know all the best spots in this area, I can show you a good time," he replied easily and Johnny found himself grinning like an idiot, tail starting to wag. 

"Plus~ I think I wanna introduce you to my friends," Haechan continued, expression turning a little devilish. "You'd like them I think and I just  _ know _ they'd love to play with you. I can be surprisingly generous about sharing my toys."

Johnny felt suddenly trapped in the puppy's gaze, feeling himself getting a little warm under the attention as well as the implication. For some reason he found it all rather intriguing. 

"Ah, but that's a decision for another day," Haechan declared brightly, dropping his arms from around Johnny's waist only to take his hand. "Come on, let's go snuggle on my bed."

So Johnny followed him across the room, shutting the door behind them. 

And maybe he decided not to worry anymore about what had changed between them, of what might continue to change. 

And maybe he was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES they had sex on the floor, look I'm sorry. They're animals okay. They have different comfort levels lol.  
Btw, when I talk about Haechan's friends here I imagine the rest of 00 line. I like the idea of this universe's 00z ganging up and climbing this Johnny like a tree lol. Who wants to write that sequel? I support 100%
> 
> I hope y'all enjoyed this (long awaited) conclusion. I've had another johnhyuck fic idea floating around my mind but I don't know when I'll get around to writing it down.  
If you happen to follow my other work, I'll be posting the last bit of my nahyuck fic probably tomorrow.
> 
> Let me know what you thought, I like reading y'alls comments!  
If you feel like following me on twitter, I mostly retweet stuff and occasionally yell but I follow back and I'm here for new friends lol especially if you're into NCT and girl groups~  
@sterff1face

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on twitter for yelling and friendship lol
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/stephaech?s=09)   
[cc](https://curiouscat.me/smore13)


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